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COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 



THE SPELL OF THE 

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS AND 

THE PHILIPPINES 



THE SPELL SERIES 

Each volume with one or more colored plates 
and many illustrations from original drawings 
or special photographs. Octavo, decorative 
cover, gilt top, boxed. 

Per volume, net $2.50; carriage paid $2.70 

By Isabel Anderson 
THE SPELL OF BELGIUM 
THE SPELL OF JAPAN 
THE SPELL OF THE HAWAIIAN 
ISLANDS AND THE PHILIPPINES 

By Caroline Atwater Mason 
THE SPELL OF ITALY 
THE SPELL OF SOUTHERN SHORES 
THE SPELL OF FRANCE 

By Archie Bell 
THE SPELL OF EGYPT 
THE SPELL OF THE HOLY LAND 

By Keith Clark 

THE SPELL OF SPAIN 
THE SPELL OF SCOTLAND 

By W. D. McCrackan 

THE SPELL OF TYROL 

THE SPELL OF THE ITALIAN LAKES 

By Edward Neville Vose 
THE SPELL OF FLANDERS 

By Burton E. Stevenson 
THE SPELL OF HOLLAND 

By Julia DeW. Addison 

THE SPELL OF ENGLAND 

By Nathan Haskell Dole 

THE SPELL OF SWITZERLAND 

^* 

THE PAGE COMPANY 
53 Beacon Street Boston, Mass. 







to Spell gf 

The Hawaiian Islands 

and the Philippines 

fBeing an Account of the Historical and 'Political Conditions 

of Out Pacific Possessions, together with Descriptions of the 

natural Charm and Beauty of the Countries and the strange and 

interesting Customs of their Peoples. 

Isabel Anderson 

»i 

Author of ' ' The Spell of Japan, " " The Spell of 

Belgium; ' ' etc. 








THE PAGE COMPANY 

MDCCCCXVI 






Copyright, 1916, by 
The Page Company 

AJZ rights reserved 



Published in November, 1916 






NOV 15 1916 



THE COLONIAL PRESS 
C. H. SIMONDS COMPANY, BOSTON, U. S. A. 



©CI.A446560 



I DEDICATE THIS BOOK WITH LOVE 
TO THE MEMORY OF MY GRANDFATHER 

WILLIAM F. WELD 

WHOSE SHIPS SAILED UPON THESE 
TROPICAL SEAS 



FOREWORD 

It is my hope that this book about our islands 
in the Pacific ocean may be of some interest, 
if for no other reason than that there is at 
present so much discussion as to whether or 
not we should keep the Philippines. 

Soon after the close of the Civil War my fa- 
ther, who was a naval officer, was sent on a 
cruise on the Pacific and stopped for a time 
both at Honolulu and Manila. During this 
cruise he took part in the occupation and sur- 
vey of Midway Island, as it is now called — our 
first possession in Pacific waters. Many years 
later, when my husband and I started on our 
first trip to the East, I asked my father if he 
would give us letters of introduction to his 
many friends there. He replied, "It is a long 
time since I visited the islands in the Pacific; 
if my friends have forgotten me letters would 
do no good, and if they remember me letters 
are not necessary.' ' Needless to say, they did 
remember him and extended to us the most cor- 
dial hospitality. 

The charm of Hawaii will linger forever in 



viii Foreword 



our memory — those happy flower islands where 
the air is sweet with perfume and gay with 
the musical strains of the ukulele. We lived 
there for a time before the Islands were an- 
nexed to the United States and, on another visit, 
we had the privilege of accompanying the Sec- 
retary of War, Hon. J. M. Dickinson, so that 
we had exceptional opportunities of seeing both 
Hawaii and the Philippines, and of making the 
acquaintance of leaders among the Americans 
and the natives. 

We found the Philippines especially fascinat- 
ing on account of the great variety they pro- 
vide. The old world plazas, the flowering Span- 
ish courtyards, and the pretty women in their 
distinctive costume of pina are all enchanting. 
Nowhere else in the Far East are the mestizos 
— those of mixed blood — socially above the na- 
tives. The Filipinos are unique in that they 
are the only Asiatics who are Christians. 
Among the hills, near civilization, live the sav- 
ages who indulge in the exciting game of head- 
hunting. The Moros, the Mohammedans of the 
southern islands, stand quite by themselves. 
They are very picturesque and absolutely un- 
like their neighbours. 

Secretary Dickinson and Governor Forbes 
we can never thank enough for the thousand 



Foreword ix 



and one strange sights we saw, as enchanting as 
the tales which Scheherezade told during those 
far-off Arabian Nights. I only wish I conld 
describe them in her delightful style! Of all 
the spells what is more puissant than the spell 
of the tropics — the singing of dripping water, 
the rustle of the palm in the breeze. In this 
land you forget all trouble and dream of love 
and happiness, while the Southern Cross 
gleams brightly in the sky. 
There it is indeed true that 

"The flower of love has leisure for growing, 
Music is heard in the evening breeze, 
The mountain stream laughs loud in its flowing, 
And poesy wakes by the Eastern Seas." 

I wish especially to say how grateful I am 
to those who have helped me in one way or an- 
other, with this book : Admiral George Dewey, 
General Thomas Anderson, Major J. E. M. 
Taylor, Major William Mitchell, Mr. William 
E, Castle, Jr., and Mr. C. P. Hatheway. Mr. 
E. K. Bonine was also very kind in allowing me 
to reprint some of his photographs of Hawaii. 
My thanks are also due to Miss Helen Kimball, 
Miss C. Gilman, Miss K. Crosby, and my hus- 
band, and to all the others who have been so 
good as to encourage me in writing the " Spell 
of. Our Pacific Islands." 



CONTENTS 

Foreword vii 

THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

I The Bright Land 3 

II Myths and Meles 29 

III The Five Kamehamehas 48 

IV Servant and Soil -81 

V In and Out 103 

THE PHILIPPINES 

I Manila as We Found It 123 

II The Philippines op the Past 148 

III Insurrection 180 

IV Following the Flag 206 

V Healing a Nation 224 

VI Dog-Eaters and Others 245 

VII Among the Head-Hunters 270 

VIII Inspecting with the Secretary op War . . 296 

IX The Moros 325 

X Journey's End 353 

Bibliography 363 

Index 365 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 



PAGE 

Mount Ma yon (in full colour) (See page 808) Frontispiece 
MAP OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS . . . 3 f 

Royal Hawaiian Hotel 6 

Hon. Sanford B. Dole 9 

£ urf-boating (in full colour) 17 

Making Poi (in full colour) 27 

Interior op Hawaiian Grass House . . . .33 

Ancient Temple Inclosure 37 

A Hula Dancer (in full colour) 40 

Queen Emma 65 \/ 

King Kalakaua and Staff 73 l 

"The Tiny Plantation Railway Among the Wav- 
ing Green Stalks" 82 

Pineapple Plantation, Island of Oahu ... 88 
Leper Colony, Island of Molokai .... 105 
sllversword in bloom, in the crater of haleakala 108 

Fire Hole, Kilauea 110 

On the Shores of Kauai, the "Garden Island" . 115 

MAP OF THE PHILIPPINES 121 

Governor General Cameron Forbes .... 125 

The Pasig River (in full colour) 128 

Malacanan Palace 136 

Mrs. Anderson in Filipina Costume .... 139 

"Under the Bells" 155 

Jose Rizal 170 

Fort Santiago 172 / 

A Group of Filipina Ladies 182 

Aguinaldo's Palace at Malolos 191 v 

San Juan Bridge 194' 



List of Illustrations 



General Lawton 196 

Benguet Road 212 

First Philippine Assembly 215 

osmena, the speaker of the flrst assembly . . 217 

A Carabao (in full colour) 225 

Penal Colony on the Island of Palawan . . 239 
The Party at Baguio ....... 246 

Igorot School Girl Weaving 251 

Igorot Outside his House 253 

Ilongot in Rain-coat and Hat of Deerskin . . 258 
Ilongots Returning from the Chase . . . 260 
Woman of the Batan Islands with Grass Hood . 264 

Constabulary Soldiers 283 

Rice Terraces 287 

Ifugao Couple 289 

Ifugao Head Dance 293 

Weapons of the Wild Tribes 295 

Landing at Tobaco 309 

A Moro Dato and His Wife, with a Retinue of 

Attendants 325 

A Moro Grave . .329 

A Moro Dato's House . . . . . . 336 

Bagobo Man with Pointed Teeth . . . .339 

Bagobos with Musical Instruments .... 345 

Bagobo with Nose Flute 348 

Moro Boats 350 

One Day's Catch of Fish 356 

View in Iloilo, Iloilo, Showing High School 

Grounds 358 

The Old Augustinian Church, Manila . . .361 




THE SPELL OF THE 

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS AND 

THE PHILIPPINES 

THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS 

CHAPTER I 

THE BRIGHT LAND 

N our first trip to Hawaii we sailed from 
San Francisco aboard the Gaelic with 
good, jolly Captain Finch. He was a reg- 
ular old tar, and we liked him. We little 
thought that in 1914 he would have the misfor- 
tune to be in command of the Arabic when it 
was torpedoed in the Atlantic. He showed 
great gallantry, standing on the bridge and 
going down with his ship, but I take pleasure 
in adding that he was saved. 

We had an ideal ocean voyage: calm, blue 
seas, with a favouring trade wind, a glorious 
moon, and strange sights of huge turtles, tropic 
birds, and lunar rainbows. We had, too, an un- 
usual company on board — Captain Gridley, of 
Manila Bay fame, then on his way to take 



4 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

command of the Olympia; Judge Widemann, 
a German who had lived for many years 
in Honolulu, and had married a Hawaiian 
princess; Mr. Irwin, a distinguished American 
with a Japanese wife — all old friends of my 
father, who, as a naval officer, made sev- 
eral cruises in the Pacific — Dr. Furness of Phila- 
delphia, a classmate of my husband's at Har- 
vard, who was going out to study the head- 
hunters of Borneo ; and Mr. Castle, grandson of 
one of the early missionaries to Hawaii. He 
has since written a charming book on the Is- 
lands. 

After six days on the smooth Pacific, we 
caught sight of Oahu, the fairy island on which 
Honolulu is situated. Diamond Head stretches 
far out into the blue, like a huge lizard guard- 
ing its treasure — a land of fruits and flowers, of 
sugar-cane and palm. The first view across the 
bay of the town with its wreath of foliage down 
by the shore, just as the golden sun was setting 
over the mountain range, was a picture to be re- 
membered. And in the distance, above Hono- 
lulu, the extinct crater called Punchbowl could 
be seen, out of which the gods of old no doubt 
drank and made merry. 

An ancient Hawaiian myth of the creation 
tells how Wakea, "the beginning," married 



The Bright Land 



Papa, "the earth,' ' and they lived in dark- 
ness until Papa produced a gourd calabash. 
Wakea threw its cover into the air, and it be- 
came heaven. The pulp and seeds formed the 
sky, the sun, moon and stars. The juice was the 
rain, and out of the bowl the land and sea were 
created. This country they lived in and called 
it Hawaii, ' ' the Bright Land. ' ' There are many 
legends told of Papa by the islanders of the 
Pacific. She traveled far, and had many hus- 
bands and children, among whom were "the 
father of winds and storms, ' ' and ' ' the father of 
forests.' ' 

As we approached the dock, we forgot to 
watch the frolicking porpoises and the silver fly- 
ing fish, at sight of the daring natives on their 
boards riding the surf that broke over the coral 
reef. The only familiar face we saw on the 
wharf as we landed was Mr. George Carter, a 
friend of my husband's, who has since been 
Governor of the Islands. 

Oahu is a beautiful island, and the town of 
Honolulu at once casts its spell upon you, with 
the luxuriance of its tropical gardens. There is 
the spreading Poinciana regia, a tree gorgeous 
with flowers of flame colour, and the "pride of 
India," with delicate mauve blossoms; there are 
trees with streaming yellow clusters, called 



6 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

"golden showers," and superb date and cocoa- 
nut and royal palms, and various kinds of acacia. 
Bougainvilleas, passion-flowers, alamanders and 
bignonias drape verandas and cover walls. 
There are hedges of hibiscus and night-blooming 
cereus, and masses of flowering shrubs. Every- 
where there is perfume, colour and profusion, 
the greatest wealth of vegetation, all kept in 
the most perfect freshness by constant little 
passing showers — "marvelous rain, that pow- 
ders one without wetting him!" Honolulu is 
well named, the word meaning "abundance of 
peace," for we found the gardens of the town 
filled with cooing doves. It is said the place was 
called after a chief by that name in the time of 
Kakuhihewa, the only great king of Oahu who is 
mentioned before Kamehameha I. 

At the time of this visit, in 1897, the total iso- 
lation of the Islands was impressive, absolutely 
cut off, as they were, except for steamers. 
Sometimes, moreover, Hawaii was three weeks 
without an arrival, so that the coming of a 
steamer was a real event. To cable home, one 
had to send the message by a ship to Japan and 
so on around the world. 

After a night at the old Eoyal Hawaiian 
Hotel, big and rambling, in the center of a pretty 
garden, we started housekeeping for ourselves 



The Bright Land 



in a little bungalow on the hotel grounds, with a 
Chinaman for maid of all work. Here we lived 
as if in a dream, reveling in the beauty of land 
and sea, of trees and flowers, enjoying the hos- 
pitality for which the Islands are famous, and 
exploring as far as we could some of the en- 
chanting spots of this heaven on earth. 

We were pleased with our little house, with its 
wide veranda, or lariai, as it is called there, 
which we made comfortable and pretty with 
long wicker chairs and Chinese lanterns. Man- 
goes falling with a thump to the ground outside, 
and lizards and all sorts of harmless creatures 
crawling or flying about the house, helped to 
carry out the tropical effect. 

In the four visits that we have made on dif- 
ferent occasions we have found the climate per- 
fect ; the temperature averages about 73 degrees. 
The trade winds blowing from the northeast 
across the Pacific are refreshing as well as the 
tiny showers, which follow you up and down the 
streets. There is not a poisonous vine or a 
snake, or any other creature more harmful than 
the bee ; but I must confess that the first night at 
the old hotel, the apparently black washstand 
turned white on my approach as the water bugs 
scuttled away. Nothing really troubled us but 
the mosquitoes, which, by the way, did not exist 



8 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

there in the early days, so must have been taken 
in on ships. 

The Islands have been well called ' ' the Para- 
dise of the Pacific" and "the playground of the 
world.' ' The five largest in the group, and the 
only important ones, are Hawaii, about the size 
of Connecticut, Maui, Oahu, Kauai and Molokai. 
The small ones are not worth mentioning, as 
they have only cattle and sheep and a few herds- 
men upon them. They are formed of lava — the 
product of numberless volcanic eruptions — and 
the action of the sea and the rain, combined with 
the warm climate and the moisture brought by 
the trade winds, has resulted in the most varied 
and fascinating scenery. Mark Twain, who 
spent many months there, said of them, * ' They 
are the loveliest group of islands that ever 
anchored in an ocean," and indeed we were of 
his opinion. 

At that time the Islands formed an independ- 
ent republic, under Sanford B. Dole as Presi- 
dent, the son of Eev. Daniel Dole, one of the 
early missionaries. He was educated at Puna- 
hou, meaning new spring, now called Oahu Col- 
lege, and at Williams College in the States. He 
came to Boston to study law, and was admitted 
to the bar. But Hawaii called him, as if with a 
forecast of the need she would have of his serv- 




1I0X. SAXFORD B. DOLE. 



The Bright Land 



ices in later days, and he went back to Oahu, 
where he took high rank among the lawyers in 
the land of his birth, and became judge of the 
Supreme Court. After the direct line of Kame- 
hameha sovereigns became extinct, and the easy- 
going rule of their successors culminated in the 
high-handed attempt of Queen Liliuokalani to 
restore the ancient rites and also to turn the 
island into a Monte Carlo, Judge Dole was the 
one man who understood both parties and had 
the confidence of both, and he was the unani- 
mous choice of the best element of the popula- 
tion for president. 

Of course we visited the buildings and local- 
ities in Honolulu that were of interest because 
of their connection with the existing government 
or their history in the past. The Executive 
Building — the old palace, built by King Kala- 
kaua and finished in the finest native woods — 
and the Court House, which was the Government 
Building in the days of the kings ; the big Kawai- 
ahao Church, built of coral blocks in 1842, and 
the Queen's Hospital, all are in the city, but they 
have often been described, so I pass them by 
with only this mention. The first frame house 
ever erected in the Islands deserves a word, as 
it was sent out from Boston for the missionaries. 
It had two stories, and in the early days its tiny 



10 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

rooms were made to shelter four mission 
families and twenty-two native children, who 
were their pupils. 

Oahu College, too, interested us. It was built 
on the land given by Chief Boki to Hiram 
Bingham, one of the earliest missionaries, who 
donated it to his coworkers as a site for a school 
for missionary children. The buildings stand 
in a beautiful park of ninety acres, in which are 
superb royal palms and the finest algaroba trees 
in Honolulu. Long ago, in the days of the rush 
for gold to California, boys were sent there for 
an education from the Pacific Coast. 

The great aquarium at Waikiki, the bathing 
suburb of Honolulu, I found particularly fasci- 
nating. There does not exist in the world an 
aquarium with fishes more peculiar in form or 
colouring than those at Waikiki, unless the new 
one in the Philippines now surpasses it. About 
five hundred varieties of fish are to be found in 
the vicinity of the Islands. The fish are of 
many curious shapes and all the colours of the 
rainbow. Some have long, swordlike noses, 
and others have fins on their backs that look like 
feathers. One called the "bridal veil" has a 
lovely filmy appendage trailing through the wa- 
ter. The unusual shapes of the bodies, the ex- 
traordinary eyes and the fine colouring give 



The Bright Land 11 

many of them a lively and comical appearance. 
Even the octopus, the many-armed sea creature, 
seemed wide awake and gazed at the onlookers 
through his glass window. 

An afternoon was spent in the Bishop 
Museum, which is very fine and well equipped, 
its collection covering all the Pacific islands. I 
was chiefly interested in the Hawaiian curios, 
— the finely woven mats of grass work and the 
implements of the old days. Here, too, was the 
famous royal cloak of orange, made of feathers 
from the mamo bird. 1 It was a work of pro- 
digious labour, covering a hundred years. This 
robe is one of the most gorgeous things I have 
ever seen and is valued at a million dollars. 
There were others of lemon yellow and of 
reds, besides the plumed insignia of office, called 
kahili, which were carried before the king. 
Our guide through the museum was the curator, 
Professor Brigham, who had made it the great- 
est institution of its kind in the world. 

This museum is a memorial, created by her 
husband, to Bernice Pauahi Bishop, great- 
granddaughter of Kamehameha I and the last 
descendant of his line. Bernice Pauahi was the 

i When the mamo became rare the natives began to substi- 
tute the light yellow feathers growing under the wings of the 
o-o. This bird is now extinct. 



12 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

daughter of the high chief Paki and the high 
chieftainess Konia. She was born in 1831, and 
was adopted in native fashion by Kinau, sister 
of Kamehameha III, who at that time had no 
daughters of her own. Her foster sister, Queen 
Liliuokalani, said of her, "She was one of the 
most beautiful girls I ever saw. ' ' 

At nineteen she married an American, Hon. 
Charles E. Bishop, who was collector of customs 
in Honolulu at that time. She led a busy life, 
and used her ability and her wealth to help 
others. She understood not only her own race 
but also foreigners, and she used her influence in 
bringing about a good understanding between 
them. 

In 1883, the year before her death, she be- 
queathed her fortune to found the Kamehameha 
School for Hawaiian boys and girls. This 
school has now a fine group of stone buildings 
not far from Honolulu. 

The Lunalilo Home was founded by the king 
of that name for aged Hawaiians. When we 
visited it, we were particularly interested in one 
old native who was familiar with the use of 
the old-time musical instruments. This man, 
named Keanonako, was still alive two years ago. 
He was taught by his grandfather, who was re- 
tained by one of the old chiefs. He played on 



The Bright Land 13 

three primitive instruments — a conch shell, a 
jew 's-harp and a nose flute. The last is made of 
bamboo, and is open at one end with three per- 
forations ; the thumb of the left hand is placed 
against the left nostril, closing it. The flute is 
held like a clarinet, and the fingers are used to 
operate it. Keanonako played the different 
notes of the birds of the forest, and really gave 
us a lovely imitation. The musical instruments 
in use to-day are the guitar, the mandolin, and 
the ukulele. The native Hawaiians are very 
musical and sing and play well, but the music is 
now greatly mixed with American and Euro- 
pean airs. 

It was always entertaining to drive in the 
park, where we listened to the band and watched 
the women on horseback. In those days the na- 
tive women rode astride wonderfully well and 
looked very dignified and stately, but one does 
not see this superb horsemanship and the old 
costumes any more. They did indeed make a 
fine appearance, with the paus, long flowing 
scarfs of gay colours, which some of them wore 
floating over their knees and almost reaching 
the ground, while their horses curvetted and 
pranced. 

One of the amusements was to go down to the 
dock to see a steamer off and watch the pretty 



14 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

custom of decorating those who went away with 
leis — wreaths of flowers — which were placed 
around the neck till the travelers looked 
like moving bouquets and the whole ship at last 
became a garden. When large steamers sailed 
the whole town went to the wharf, and the 
famous Eoyal Hawaiian Band — which Captain 
Berger, a German, led for forty years — played 
native airs for an hour before the time of sail- 
ing. It was an animated and pretty sight at the 
dock, for the natives are so fond of flowers that 
they, too, wear leis continually as bands around 
their hats, and they bring and send them as 
presents and in compliment. Steamers arriving 
at the port were welcomed in the same charming 
fashion. 

Judge Widemann kindly asked us to dine and 
view his wonderful hedge of night-blooming 
cereus. The good old Judge who had married 
the Princess had three daughters; two of the 
girls were married to two brothers, who were 
Americans. All the daughters were attractive, 
and the youngest, who was the wife of a German, 
w T as remarkably pretty. It was strange at first 
to see brown-skinned people in low-necked white 
satin dinner gowns, and to find them so cultured 
and charming. 

We dined with Mr. and Mrs. Castle, also with 



The Bright Land 15 

old Mrs. Macfarlane at Waikiki. We enjoyed 
our evening there immensely. Sam Parker, 
"the prince of the natives,' ' and Paul Neumann, 
and Mrs. Wilder, too, all great characters in 
those days, were very kind to us. Many of them 
have passed away, but I shall always remember 
them as we knew them in those happy honey- 
moon months. 

All the mystic spell of those tropical evenings 
at Waikiki lives in these lines by Eupert 
Brooke : 

"Warm perfumes like a breath from vine and tree 

Drift down the darkness. Plangent, hidden from eyes, 

Somewhere an eukaleli thrills and cries 
And stabs with pain the night's brown savagery. 
And dark scents whisper ; and dim waves creep to me, 

Gleam like a woman's hair, stretch out, and rise; 

And new stars burn into the ancient skies, 
Over the murmurous soft Hawaiian sea." 

I took great pleasure in going to Governor 
Cleghorn's place. He is a Scotchman who mar- 
ried a sister of the last king, and was at one time 
governor of this island. Many years ago, my 
father brought home a photograph of their 
beautiful daughter, then a girl of fourteen, who 
died not long after, Mr. Cleghorn's grounds 
were superb — old avenues of palms and flower- 
ing shrubs, and shady walks with Japanese 
bridges, and pools of water filled with lilies. A 



16 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

fine view of the valley opened out near the 
house. There were really two connected 
houses, which were large and built of wood, 
with verandas. One huge room was filled with 
portraits of the Hawaiian royal family and some 
prints of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. 
There were knickknacks everywhere, and teak- 
wood tables and chairs, poi bowls made by hand, 
and primitive stone tools. We were served 
with lemonade by two Japanese servants in the 
pretty costume of their land, while tea was 
served by a picturesque Chinese woman at a 
table on the veranda. 

Besides these informal entertainments, there 
were various official functions. One was a de- 
lightful musicale at President Dole's house, in 
the midst of his lovely tropical garden; also a 
dinner at the Consul General 's, besides several 
parties on the naval vessels at the station. Cap- 
tain Book gave us a dinner and dance on his 
ship, the Marian. We had breakfast one day on 
the flagship Philadelphia with Admiral and Mrs. 
Beardsley — the Admiral was in command of the 
station. Captain Cotton of the Philadelphia 
also gave us a boating party by moonlight, fol- 
lowed by a little dance aboard ship. 

After lunching with the American Minister, 
Mr. Sewall, one day, we sat on his lanai at 



The Bright Land 17 

Waikiki and watched the surf-boating, which 
was most exciting, even from a distance, as the 
canoes came in at racehorse speed on the crest 
of the breakers. That day L. and I put our 
bathing suits on, as we did indeed several times, 
got into an outrigger canoe with two native 
boys to handle it, and started for the reef. They 
skilfully paddled the boat out between the 
broken waves, waiting for the chance to move 
on without meeting a foaming crester, and then 
hurrying to catch a smooth place. At last we 
got out far enough and turned, watching over 
our shoulders for a big fellow to come rolling in. 
Then the boys paddled wildly and allowed the 
crest, as it broke, to catch and lift the boat and 
rush it along on top of the roaring foam, right 
up to the beach. On one of our trips our oars- 
men were a little careless and we were upset. 
But instead of swimming in shore we swam out 
to sea and pushed the boat until we were well 
beyond the breakers, where we could right it 
again and get in — which, for those not used to it, 
is not a particularly easy thing to accomplish. 
The people on the shore became frightened 
about us and sent out another boat to pick us 
up, for we were quite far out and there were 
many sharks around. 

By the way, one hears it questioned even to- 



18 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

day whether sharks really do eat men, notwith- 
standing two men were bitten lately while bath- 
ing as far north as on the New Jersey coast. I 
will simply say I have seen a black diving boy at 
Aden with only one leg, as the other was bitten 
off by a shark, and have myself even worn black 
stockings when bathing in tropical seas because 
it is said sharks prefer white legs to black. 

An old friend of mine, an admiral in the navy, 
tells this extraordinary story — that a sailor was 
lost overboard from his ship, and that inside a 
shark caught the very same day was found the 
sailor's head. Here is another story even more 
remarkable than that, taken from Musick's book 
on Hawaii: 

"Why, sharks are the most tractable crea- 
tures in the world when you know how to handle 
them. It takes a great deal of experience and 
skill to handle a good-sized shark, one of the 
man-eating species, but the Kanaka boys know 
exactly how to master them. I used to have a 
fish pond over on the other side of Oahu, and at 
high tide sometimes as many as half a dozen 
full-grown sharks would come in the pond at a 
time, and when it was low tide it left them in the 
pond, which would be so shallow the sharks 
could not turn over. The native boys used to 



The Bright Land 19 

go to that pond, jump astride the sharks and 
ride them through the water. It was great 
amusement to see them riding races around the 
pond on the backs of the sharks. 

"Now, if you don't believe this story, if you 
will charter the ship I will take the whole party 
to the very pond in which the sharks are ridden 
for horses. If I can't show you the pond, I will 
pay the expense of the ship. ' ' 

A long drive up into the mountains back of the 
town one morning, took us to Mt. Tantalus, two 
thousand or more feet high, from which there 
are splendid views of the plain below and the sea 
beyond and mountain ranges on each side. To- 
day there are many pretty summer villas built 
on its slopes. While we were looking down on 
the town and harbour far below us, we saw little 
puffs of white smoke, and long after could just 
hear the booming of the guns of the warships, 
American, English, and Japanese, saluting in 
honour of the President of this little island re- 
public, who was visiting one of the vessels. 
Then we climbed higher yet, through woods of 
koa trees, bordered by thickets of the lantana, 
with its many-coloured flowers, up till we could 
look down into the dead crater of Punchbowl 
and over Diamond Head, and far off across the 



20 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

sparkling ocean, while the steeply ravined and 
ribbed mountains seemed to fall away suddenly 
beneath our feet. 

Punchbowl, where in the early days the 
natives offered human sacrifices, "is for the 
most part as red as clay, though a tinge of green 
in its rain-moistened chinks suggests those 
bronzes of uncertain antiquity. ' ' On this moun- 
tain top a myth tells us how a human being 
was first made — a man to rule over this island. 
The gods molded him from the clay of the 
crater, and as they were successful and he came 
to life, they made from his shadow a woman to 
keep him company. Indeed, many of the 
natives still believe in gods and fairies, in shark 
men, owls, and ghosts, and they will tell you 
stories of the goddess of the crater even to- 
day. 

When we last visited this island thirteen 
years later with our Secretary of War, Mr. 
Dickinson, we saw many changes. We were 
taken to the Alexander Young Hotel in the cen- 
ter of the town, and to the great hotel at Wai- 
kiki. The old hotel, where we stayed years be- 
fore, had changed hands and was sadly run 
down. How pretty and green everything was, 
and how marvelous were the flowers! Many 
new and rare species had been planted. 



The Bright Land 21 

The changes have been gradual, but to-day 
Honolulu is a modern, up-to-date American 
town, with business blocks of brick. The 
Makapuu Point Light is one of the largest in the 
world, and Diamond Head crater has been made 
into one of the strongest fortifications of modern 
times. Great men-of-war are to be seen off 
Honolulu, and Pearl Harbour has been dredged. 
The army quarters on this island are quite fine. 
There are good golf links, and on the polo field 
you see excellent players ; the field is also used 
for aviation. The finely equipped Children's 
Hospital, the Normal School, and the McKinley 
High School were interesting institutions that 
had sprung up since our first visit. 

To-day, out of a total population in all the 
Islands of 209,830, Honolulu has over 50,000. 
Many new houses and beautiful gardens are to 
be seen. The island now has, of course, cable 
and wireless communication with the mainland, 
electric cars and lights, telephones, the tele- 
graph and numberless motors — in fact, every 
luxury is to be found. There are a number of 
clubs, of which the University is especially pop- 
ular, and the Pacific, or British, Club is the old- 
est. The graduates of women's colleges have 
formed a club of their own. Schools and char- 
itable institutions and missionary societies are 



22 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

numerous, and the Y. M. C. A. building is very 
prominent. 

The city now has many churches, which are 
well attended. The Episcopal cathedral, of 
stone brought from England, is especially fine. 
The Catholic cathedral and convent have long 
been established. It was a Catholic priest who 
first brought the algaroba tree from Central 
America sixty years ago and planted it in the 
city of Honolulu. The descendants of that one 
tree have reclaimed great sandy wastes and 
clothed them with fodder for cattle. 

Our motor trip to Pearl Harbour took us past 
Mr. S. M. Damon's charming new place with its 
delightful Japanese garden. We motored to 
the Pali, a precipice that drops one thousand 
feet to the plains which stretch to the sea, where 
in the old days we had gone so often. Now, a 
stone tablet on its summit bears the following 
inscription : 

"Erected by the Daughters of Hawaii in 1907 
to commemorate the battle of Nuuanu, fought in 
this valley in 1795, when the invading Kame- 
hameha I drove the forces of Kalanikupule, 
king of Oahu, to the Pali and hurled them over 
the precipice, thus establishing the Kame- 
hameha dynasty.' ' 

In these days of aeroplanes, I gather this myth 



The Bright Land 23 

of the Bird-man of the Pali from "Legends of 
old Honolulu," by Westervelt: 

Namaka was a noted man of Kauai, but he left 
that island to find some one whom he would like 
to call his lord. He excelled in spear-throwing, 
boxing, leaping and flying. He went first to 
Oahu, and in Nuuanu Valley he met Pakuanui, a 
very skilful boxer, and they prepared for a con- 
test at the Pali. Pakuanui could not handle 
Namaka, who was a " whirlwind around a man," 
so he became angry and planned to kill him. 
Namaka was as "slimy as a fish." "The hill 
of the forehead he struck. The hill of the nose 
he caught." Like a rainbow bending over the 
hau-trees he was, as he circled around Pakuanui. 
At a narrow place Pakuanui gave him a kick that 
knocked him over the precipice, expecting him 
to be dashed to pieces. "But Namaka flew 
away from the edge. . . . The people who were 
watching said, ... He flew off from the Pali 
like an Io bird, leaping into the air . . . spread- 
ing out his arms like wings ! ' ' 

This panorama is one of the wonders of the 
world; land and sea, coral reef and mountains, 
green meadow and shining sand, spread out be- 
fore one 's eyes at the Pali. As the road makes 
a sharp turn and begins to descend toward the 
valley, we encounter the full force of the trade 



24 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

winds, for through this pass a gale is always 
blowing. To quote from Charles W. Stoddard, 
"If you open your mouth too wide, you can't 
shut it again without getting under the lee of 
something — the wind blows so hard." 

From the Pali we went on to Pearl Harbour, 
where the United States Government is con- 
structing a great naval station. This harbour, 
the finest in the Islands, is a deep lagoon, 
entered from the ocean by a narrow channel 
three miles in length. At the inner end it ex- 
pands and divides into two " lochs," which are 
from thirty to sixty feet deep and with a shore 
line of some thirty miles. Algaroba forests 
cover the shores, and the fertile countryside, 
in which are rice, sugar and banana plantations, 
promises abundant supplies for the troops sta- 
tioned here. 

Pearl Harbour has really been in our posses- 
sion ever since the Eeciprocity Treaty with Ha- 
waii was signed in Harrison's administration. 1 
As it covers ten square miles, the whole navy 
of this country could find anchorage there, and 

iln the first Reciprocity Treaty with Hawaii, which was 
signed in Grant's administration, there was no reference to 
Pearl Harbour. It was when the treaty was renewed in a 
revised form during the administration of President Harrison, 
that Hawaii ceded Pearl Harbour to the United States as a 
naval base. 



The Bright Land 25 

be in perfect safety. Not only has the bar that 
obstructed the entrance to the channel been re- 
moved, the long, narrow channel straightened, 
and a huge drydock constructed in which our 
largest ships of war could be repaired, but bar- 
racks, repair shops, a power house, hospitals, 
a powder magazine, and all the other buildings 
needed to make a complete station have been 
erected at a cost of more than ten millions of 
dollars. Before the drydock was finished it 
was partially destroyed by an upheaval. The 
natives' explanation was that the dock was 
built over the home of the Shark-god, and that 
he resented this invasion of his domain. 

The island of Oahu will soon be a second 
Gibraltar, we hope. The channel from the sea 
is guarded by Fort Kamehameha. Fort Euger 
is at the foot of Diamond Head, Fort DeEussy 
near Waikiki Beach; at Moanalua is Fort 
Shafter, and at the entrance of Honolulu Har- 
bour, Fort Armstrong. There are more than 
eleven thousand troops stationed there to-day, 
consisting of field artillery, cavalry, infantry, 
engineers, signal corps, telephone and telegraph 
corps, and it is said there will soon be fifteen 
thousand or more. 1 

i General M. M. Macomb was in command from 1911 to 
1913, General Frederick Funston during 1914, General W. H. 



26 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

A Hawaiian feast, such as they had in the old 
days, was given in honour of the Secretary of 
War, so we were taken to the house of a mem- 
ber of the royal family. I was surprised to see 
how fine these residences were. This man was 
only part native, and really one would not have 
suspected from his appearance that he had any 
Hawaiian blood at all. His wife was a fat na- 
tive in a holoku — a mother hubbard — who di- 
rected the feast, but did not receive. 
• The bedroom in which we took off our wraps 
opened out of the big ball room. There was a 
bright-coloured quilt on the bed, and on the walls 
were many photographs and cheap prints. 
Here were also royal feather plumes in vases 
and more polished poi bowls. 

The inclosure where we feasted — or had the 
luau or "bake" — which led out of the ball room, 
was half open with a cover of canvas and banana 
leaves. It contained a long table covered with 
flowers and fruit, bowls and small dishes. 
There were no forks nor spoons, nor anything 
but one 's fingers to eat with. At the end of the 
meal a wooden dish was passed for us to wash 
our fingers. Some of the dishes contained raw 
fish with a sauce. A cocoanut shell held rock 

Carter followed and General J. P. Wisser is there in com- 
mand to-day. 



The Bright Land 27 

salt, the kind that is given to cattle, and a small 
bowl was filled with a mixture of sweet potato 
and cocoanut. That was the best dish of all. 
The roasted sweet potato was good, too, and 
pork, sewed up in ti leaves and roasted with hot 
stones, was another delicacy. The drink was 
made of fruits and was very sweet. And, of 
course, we had poi. 

Poi is described as " one-finger" or "two- 
finger" poi — thick or thin. Native Hawaiians 
like it a few days old, when it is sour. For- 
tunately, as this was only one day old, I was 
able to put one finger-full of the pasty stuff in 
my mouth, and, on a dare, I ventured another. 
Poi is made from the taro root, which is boiled 
till soft, then pounded and mixed with water. 
Why I was not ill after this feast I don't know, 
as I tried mangoes, grapes, watermelon, and 
pineapple, as well as all the other things. Leis 
of pink carnations were put about our necks. 
Hawaiian music with singing went on during the 
meal, and afterward we danced. 

The company was certainly cosmopolitan. 
One of the people who interested me most was a 
Hawaiian princess, really very pretty, dressed 
in the height of fashion. Her father was Eng- 
lish. Another interesting person was the 
daughter of a full-blooded Chinaman, her 



28 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

mother being half Hawaiian. Her husband was 
an American. She told me with great pride 
that her boys were both very blond. A wild 
Texan army man also roused my interest, from 
the point of view of character study ; and I must 
not forget an Englishwoman, who said, on de- 
parture, "Us is going now." We found it all 
very diverting and the people so kind and hos- 
pitable that we enjoyed every minute of our 
stay. 




CHAPTER II 

MYTHS AND MELES 

ATIVE Hawaiians — big, generous, happy, 
good-looking folk, athletic and fond of 
music — are in physical characteristics, in 
temperament, in language, traditions and cus- 
toms, so closely related to the Samoans, the 
Maoris of New Zealand, and the other inhabit- 
ants of Polynesia, that it is clear they belong to 
the same race. Although Hawaii is two thou- 
sand miles from any other land, the people are 
so much like the natives of the South Sea Islands 
that I do not see how the relationship can be 
questioned. Distance, too, means little, for we 
hear that only lately a Japanese junk was caught 
in a storm and the mast destroyed, yet it was 
swept along by the Japan current and in an ex- 
ceedingly short time was washed up on the shore 
near Vancouver, with most of the sailors still 
alive. The adventurous boatmen who first 
landed on the island of Hawaii, however, must 
not only have crossed two thousand miles of 
ocean in their canoes but crossed it in the face of 
opposing trade winds and ocean currents. 

29 



30 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

The Polynesians of those early days, like the 
ancient Chaldeans, studied the heavenly bodies, 
and so, on their long voyages, were able to guide 
their course by the stars. Their vessels, which 
were double canoes, like those of the modern 
Samoans, were from fifty to one hundred feet 
long and carried a large company of people, with 
provisions, animals, idols, and everything that 
was needed for a long voyage or for colonizing a 
strange island. 

The legends of that earliest time tell of Ha- 
waii-loa, who sailed from the west to the Is- 
lands, which he named for himself. The coming 
of Wakea and Papa also belonged to that pe- 
riod. While they are mentioned as the creators 
of the earth, they are said in another version of 
the story to have come from Savaii in Samoa. 
They brought with them the tabu, which is com- 
mon to all Polynesia. 

Little is to be learned, however, of the history 
of Hawaii from the folklore of Pacific Islanders 
until about the year 1000 a. d. If we may be- 
lieve their traditions, this was a time of great 
restlessness throughout all Polynesia, when 
Hawaii was again visited and held communica- 
tion with other islands, peopled by the same 
race. It is interesting to remember that this 
was the century when the Norsemen were strik- 



Myths and Meles 31 

ing out across the Atlantic, showing that there 
were daring navigators on both sides of the 
globe. 

Paao, one of the heroes from Samoa, who set- 
tled in Hawaii, became high priest. He intro- 
duced the worship of new gods and increased 
the number of tabus. The great temple built by 
him was the first in the shape of a quadrangle — 
previously they had been three-sided. After- 
ward, he went back to Samoa and returned with 
Pili, whom he made ruler, and from whom the 
Kamehamehas were descended. 

From the Hawaiian meles, or songs, we may 
picture their life. The men were skilful fisher- 
men, using hooks of shell, bone, or tortoise shell, 
nets of olona-fiber or long spears of hard wood. 
The bait used in shark fishing was human flesh. 
When it was thrown into the water and the shark 
was attracted to it, the fishermen sprang over- 
board and fought the fish with knives of stone 
and sharp shark's teeth. No doubt it was an 
extremely exciting sport. 

Along the shores of the Islands are the walls 
of many fish-ponds, some of which, though very 
old, are still in use and bid fair to last for cen- 
turies longer. Usually they were made by 
building a wall of lava rock across the entrance 
to a small bay, and the fish were kept in the in- 



32 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

closure. The wall was built loosely enough to 
allow the water to percolate through it, and 
sluice gates were added, which could be opened 
and closed. They were at first owned by kings 
and chiefs, and were probably built by the forced 
labour of the people. Tradition has it that the 
wall of Wekolo Pond at Pearl Harbour was 
built by natives who formed a line from shore 
to mountain and passed lava rock from hand 
to hand until it reached the shores over a 
mile away, without once touching the ground. 
Some of the ponds in the interior of the Islands 
have been turned into rice fields and taro 
patches, especially on Oahu. 

The sports and games of the Hawaiians, of 
which there were many, were nearly all asso- 
ciated with gambling. Indeed, it was the 
betting that furnished most of the excitement 
connected with them. At the end of a day of 
games, many of the people would have staked 
and lost everything they owned in the world. 

Boxing, surf-riding and hurling the ulu — a 
circular stone disk, three or four inches in 
diameter — were some of the favourite amuse- 
ments, as well as tobogganing, which is interest- 
ing as a tropical adaptation of something that 
we consider a Northern sport. The slide was 
laid out on a steep hillside, that was made slip- 



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Myths and Meles 33 

pery with dry pili grass. The sled, of two long, 
narrow strips of wood joined together by wicker 
work, was on runners from twelve to fourteen 
feet long, and was more like our sleds than 
modern toboggans. The native held the sled by 
the middle with both hands, and ran to get a 
start. Then, throwing himself face downward, 
he flew down the hill out upon the plain beyond, 
sometimes to a distance of half a mile or more. 

The old Hawaiians were not bad farmers, in- 
deed, I think we may call them very good 
farmers, when we consider that they had no 
metal tools of any description and most of their 
agricultural work was done with the o-o, which 
was only a stick of hard wood, either pointed at 
one end or shaped like a rude spade. With 
such primitive implements they terraced their 
fields, irrigated the soil, and raised crops of 
taro, bananas, yams, sweet potatoes, and sugar- 
cane. 

Most of the houses of primitive Hawaiians 
were small, but the grass houses of the chiefs 
were sometimes seventy feet long. They were 
all simply a framework of poles thatched with 
leaves or the long grass of the Islands. Inside, 
the few rude belongings — mats, calabashes, 
gourds, and baskets for fish — were all in strange 
contrast to the modern luxury which many of 



34 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

their descendants enjoy to-day. The cooking 
was done entirely by the men, in underground 
ovens. Stones were heated in these; the food, 
wrapped in ti leaves, was laid on the stones 
and covered with a layer of grass and dirt ; then 
water was poured in through a small opening to 
steam the food. 

The mild climate of Hawaii makes very little 
clothing necessary for warmth, and before the 
advent of the missionaries the women wore only 
a short skirt of tapa that reached just below the 
knees, and the men a loin-cloth, the malo. 
Tapa, a sort of papery cloth, is made from the 
bark of the paper mulberry. 

Hawaiians say that in the earliest days their 
forefathers had only coverings made of long 
leaves or braided strips of grass, until two of 
the great gods, Kane and Kanaloa, took pity 
upon them and taught them to make kiheis, or 
shoulder capes. 

Tapa making was an important part of the 
work of the women. It was sometimes bril- 
liantly coloured with vegetable dyes and a pat- 
tern put on with a bamboo stamp. Unlike the 
patterns which our Indians wove into their 
baskets and blankets, each one of which had its 
meaning, these figures on the tapa had no 
special significance, so far as is known. By 



Myths and Meles 35 

lapping strips of bark over each other and beat- 
ing them together, the tapa could be made of 
any desired size or thickness. 

In the old legends, Hina, the mother of the 
demi-god Maui, figures as the chief tapa maker. 
The clouds are her tapas in the sky, on which 
she places stones to hold them down. When 
the winds drive the clouds before them, loud 
peals of thunder are the noise of the rolling 
stones. When Hina folds up her clouds the 
gleams of sunlight upon them are seen by men 
and called the lightning. 

The sound of the tapa beating was often 
heard in the Islands. The story is told, that 
the women scattered through the different val- 
leys devised a code of signals in the strokes 
and rests of the mallets by which they sent all 
sorts of messages to one another — a sort of 
primitive telegraphy that must have been a 
great comfort and amusement to lonely women. 

In the early days, marriage and family asso- 
ciations fell lightly on their shoulders, and even 
to-day they are somewhat lax in their morals. 
The seamen who visited the Islands after their 
discovery by Captain Cook brought corrup- 
tion with them, so that the condition of the 
natives when the first missionary arrived was 
indescribable. A great lack of family affection 



36 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

perhaps naturally followed from this light 
esteem of marriage. The adoption and even 
giving away of children was the commonest 
thing, even among the high chiefs and kings, 
and exists more or less to-day. 

There were three distinctly marked classes 
even among the ancient Hawaiians — chiefs, 
priests, and common people — proving that 
social distinctions do not entirely depend upon 
civilization. The chief was believed to be de- 
scended from the gods and after death was 
worshiped as a deity. 

The priestly class also included sorcerers and 
doctors, all called kahuna, and were much like 
the medicine men among the American Indians. 
As with most primitive peoples — for after all, 
when compared they have very similar tastes 
and customs — diseases were supposed to be 
caused by evil spirits, and the kahuna was 
credited with the power to expel them or even 
to install them in a human body. The masses 
had implicit belief in this power, and "praying 
to death' ' was often heard of in the old days. 1 

Ancient Hawaiians wrapped their dead in 
tapa with fragrant herbs, such as the flowers of 

lEven to a late date this custom has been known in civ- 
ilized countries. In France a figure of one's enemy was 
modeled in wax and was slowly melted before the fire while 
being "prayed to death." 



Myths and Meles 37 

sugar-cane, which had the property of embalm- 
ing them. They were sometimes buried in 
their houses or in grottoes dug in the solid rock, 
but more frequently in natural caves, where the 
bodies were dried and became like mummies. 
Sometimes the remains were thrown into the 
boiling lava of a volcano, as a sacrifice to Pele. 

It is said no Hawaiians were ever cannibals, 
but in the early days man-eaters from the south 
visited these Islands and cooked their victims 
in the ovens of the natives. Human bones 
made into the shape of fish hooks were thought 
to bring luck, especially those of high chiefs, 
so, as only part of Captain Cook's body was 
found and he was considered a god, perhaps 
his bones were used in this way. 

The heiaus, or temples, developed from 
Paao's time into stone platforms inclosed by 
walls of stone. Within this inclosure were 
sacred houses for the king and the priests, an 
altar, the oracle, which was a tall tower of 
wicker work, in which the priest stood when 
giving the message of his god to the king, and 
the inner court — the shrine of the principal idol. 
One of the most important heiaus, which still 
exists, although in ruins, is the temple of 
Wahaula on the island of Hawaii. 

There was much that was hard and cruel 



38 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

about this religion. The idols were made hide- 
ous that they might strike terror to the 
worshipers. Human sacrifices were offered 
at times to the chief gods. The idols of the 
natives were much like those of the North 
American Indians, but the Kanakas are not like 
the Indians in character. 

The oppressive tabu was part of the religion, 
and the penalty for breaking it was death. The 
word means prohibited, and the system was a 
set of rules, made by the chiefs and high priests, 
which forbade certain things. For instance, it 
was tabu for women to eat with men or enter the 
men's eating house, or to eat pork, turtles, co- 
coanuts, bananas and some kinds of fish. There 
were many tabu periods when "no canoe could 
be launched, no fire lighted, no tapa beaten or 
poi pounded, and no sound could be uttered on 
pain of death, when even the dogs had to be muz- 
zled, and the fowls were shut up in calabashes 
for twenty-four hours at a time." Besides the 
religious tabus there were civil ones, which 
could be imposed at any time at the caprice of 
king or chiefs, who would often forbid the peo- 
ple to have certain things because they wished 
to keep them for themselves. 

One is apt to think that in those early days 
the natives of these heavenly islands must have 



Myths and Meles 39 

been happy and free-living, without laws and 
doing as they wished, with plenty of fruit and 
fish to eat ; but it was not so at all, for they were 
obliged to crawl in the dust before their king; 
they were killed if they even crossed his 
shadow. 

As a pleasant contrast to all these grim 
features, the Hawaiians, like the ancient Israel- 
ites, had cities of refuge, of which there were 
two on the island of Hawaii. Here the mur- 
derer was safe from the avenger, the tabu- 
breaker was secure from the penalty of death, 
and in time of war, old men and women and 
children could dwell in peace within these 
walls. 

The curious belief in a second soul, or double, 
and in ghosts, the doctrines of a future state, 
and the peculiar funeral rites, all of which 
formed part of the native religion, seem 
strange to many present-day Christian 
Hawaiians. 

In all Polynesia the four great gods were 
Kane, "father of men and founder of the 
world," 1 Kanaloa, his brother, Ku, the cruel 
one, and Lono, to whom the New Year games 

iThe legend which ascribes the creation of man to Kane 
is only one of many Hawaiian creation myths, in which 
other gods figure as fathers of the human race. 



40 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

were sacred. These four were also the chief 
deities of Hawaiians. 

Besides the great gods there was a host of in- 
ferior deities, such as the god of the sea, the 
god of the fishermen, the shark god, the goddess 
of the tapa beaters, Laka, the goddess of song 
and dance, who was very popular, and Pele, the 
goddess of volcanoes. Still lower in the scale 
were the demi-gods and magicians of marvelous 
power, like Maui, for whom the island of Maui 
is said to be named, who pulled New Zealand 
out of the sea with his magic fish hook and stole 
the secret of making fire from the wise mud 
hens. His greatest achievement was that of 
lassoing the sun and forcing him to slacken 
his speed. He was a hero throughout Poly- 
nesia, and his hook is said to have been still 
preserved on the island of Tonga in the eight- 
eenth century. 

Like most primitive peoples, the Hawaiians 
danced in order that their gods might smile 
upon them and bring them luck, or to appease 
the dreaded Pele and the other gods of evil. 
The much-talked of hula began in this way as a 
sacred dance before the altar in a temple in- 
closure, while the girls, clad in skirts of grass 
and wreaths of flowers, chanted their songs. 
There was grace in some of the movements, but 



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Myths and Meles 41 

on the whole the dances are said to have been 
' ' indescribably lascivious. ' ' After the mission- 
aries arrived, the hula was modified, and to-day 
it has almost died out. 

Many of the old chants were addressed to 
Laka, sometimes called the "goddess of the 
wildwood growths." These meles had neither 
rime nor meter and were more like chants or 
recitatives, as the singers used only two or 
three deep-throated tones. Curiously enough 
the verses suggest the modern vers libre. 
The chants include love songs, dirges and 
name songs — composed at the birth of a child 
to tell the story of his ancestors — besides 
prayers to the gods and historical traditions. 
As some of these early songs have real vigour 
and charm, I give a few examples. 

The following is a very old chant of Kane, 
Creator of the Universe : 

"The rows of stars of Kane, 

The stars in the firmament, 

The stars that have been fastened up, 

Fast, fast, on the surface of the heaven of Kane, 

And the wandering stars, 

The tabued stars of Kane, 

The moving stars of Kane ; 

Innumerable are the stars; 

The large stars, 

The little stars, 

The red stars of Kane. infinite space ! 



42 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

The great Moon of Kane, 

The great Sun of Kane 

Moving, floating, 

Set moving about in the great space of Kane. 

The Great Earth of Kane, 

The Earth squeezed dry by Kane, 

The Earth that Kane set in motion. 

Moving are the stars, moving is the Moon, 

Moving is the great Earth of Kane." 1 

I find the meles to Laka especially pretty, 
such as these, taken from Emerson's " Unwrit- 
ten Literature of Hawaii": 

"0 goddess Laka! 

wildwood bouquet, Laka! 

Laka, queen of the voice ! 

Laka, giver of gifts ! 

Laka, giver of bounty ! 

O Laka, giver of all things !" 

"This is my wish, my burning desire, 
That in the season of slumber, 
Thy spirit my soul may inspire, 

Altar dweller, 

Heaven guest, 

Soul awakener, 
Bird from covert calling, 
Where forest champions stand, 
There roamed I too with Laka." 

This one from the same collection is interest- 
ing in its simplicity and strength : 

iA, Fornander, "The Polynesian Bace." 



Myths and Meles 43 

"0 Pele, god Pele! 

Burst forth now! burst forth! 

Launch a bolt from the sky ! 

Let thy lightnings fly! ... . 

Fires of the goddess burn. 

Now for the dance, the dance, 

Bring out the dance made public; 

Turn about back, turn about face; 

Dance toward the sea, dance toward the land, 

Toward the pit that is Pele, 

Portentous consumer of rocks in Puna !" 

The Hawaiian myths, I find, are not nearly so 
original or so full of charm as the Japanese and 
Chinese stories, and the long names are tire- 
some. They have, moreover, lost their fresh- 
ness, their individuality and their primitive 
quality in translation and through American 
influence. They had been handed down en- 
tirely by word of mouth until the missionaries 
arrived. Many of the myths bear some re- 
semblance to Old Testament stories as well as 
to the traditions told by the head-hunters of the 
Philippines. The legends of the volcano seem 
more distinctly Hawaiian. 

There are many legends of Pele as well as 
chants in her honour, which generally represent 
her as wreaking her vengeance on mortals who 
have been so unfortunate as to offend her. I 
quote one that is told to account for the origin 
of a stream of unusually black lava, which long, 



44 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

long ago flowed down to the coast on Maui: 
" A withered old woman stopped to ask food 
and hospitality at the house of a dweller on this 
promontory, noted for his penuriousness. His 
halo (taro) patches flourished, cocoanuts and 
bananas shaded his hut, nature was lavish of 
her wealth all around him. But the withered 
hag was sent away unfed, and as she turned her 
back on the man she said, 'I will return to- 
morrow. ' 

* ' This was Pele, goddess of the volcano, and 
she kept her word, and came back the next day 
in earthquakes and thunderings, rent the moun- 
tain, and blotted out every trace of the man and 
his dwelling with a flood of fire. ' ? 

Another story goes that in the form of a 
maiden the goddess appeared to a young chief 
at the head of a toboggan slide and asked for 
a ride on his sled. He refused her, and started 
down without her. Soon, hearing a roar as of 
thunder and looking back, he saw a lava torrent 
chasing him and bearing on its highest wave the 
maiden, whom he then knew to be the goddess 
Pele. Down the hill and across the plain his 
toboggan shot, followed by the flaming river 
of molten rock. The chief, however, reached 
the ocean at last and found safety in the wa- 
ters. 



Myths and Meles 45 

This condensed story of the Shark King is 
also a typical Hawaiian tale: 

The King Shark, while sporting in the water, 
watched a beautiful maiden diving into a pool, 
and fell in love with her. As king sharks can 
evidently take whatever form they please, he 
turned himself into a handsome man and waited 
for her on the rocks. Here the maiden came 
one day to seek shellfish, which she was fond of 
eating. While she was gathering them a huge 
wave swept her off her feet, and the handsome 
shark man saved her life. As a matter of 
course, she straightway fell in love with him. 
So it happened that one day they were married ; 
but it was only when her child was born that the 
shark man confided to her who he really was, 
and that he must now disappear. As he left, 
he cautioned her never to give their child any 
meat, or misfortune would follow. 

The child was a fine boy, and was quite like 
other children except that he bore on his back 
the mark of the great mouth of the shark. As 
he grew older he ate with the men instead of 
the women, as was the custom, and his grand- 
father, not heeding the warning but wishing to 
make his grandson strong, so that some day he 
might become a chief, gave him the forbidden 
meat. When in company, the boy wore a cape 



46 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

to cover the scar on his back, and he always 
went swimming alone, but when in the water 
he remembered his father, and it was then that 
he would turn into a shark himself. The more 
meat the boy ate the more he wanted, and in 
time it was noticed that children began to dis- 
appear. They would go in bathing and never 
return. The people became suspicious, and one 
day they tore the boy 's mantle off him and saw 
the shark's mouth upon his back. There was 
great consternation, and at last he was ordered 
to be burned alive. He had been bound with 
ropes and was waiting for the end, but while the 
fire was kindling he called on his father, King 
Shark, for help, and so it was that he was able 
to burst the ropes and rush into the water, 
where he turned into a shark and escaped. 

The mother then confessed that she had mar- 
ried the Shark King. The chiefs and the high 
priests held a council and decided that it would 
be better to offer sacrifices to appease him 
rather than to kill the mother. This they did, 
and for that reason King Shark promised that 
his son should leave the shores of the island of 
Hawaii forever. It was true, he did leave this 
island, but he visited other islands and con- 
tinued his bad habits, until one day he was 
really caught just as he was turning from a man 



Myths and Meles 47 

into a shark on the beach in shallow water. He 
was bound and hauled up a canyon, where they 
built a fire from the bamboo of the sacred grove. 
But the shark was so large that they had to chop 
down one tree after another for his funeral 
pyre, until the sacred grove had almost disap- 
peared. This so angered the god of the forest 
that he changed the variety of bamboo in this 
region; it is no longer sharp-edged like other 
bamboo on the Islands. 




CHAPTER in 

THE FIVE KAMEHAMEHAS 

AWAIIAN myths and traditions are con- 
fused and unreliable, and we know little 
real history of the " Bright Land," the 
"Land of Rainbows," before the coming of 
Captain Cook, in 1778. We do know, however, 
that, in those early days, the different tribes 
continually carried on a savage warfare among 
themselves. Not until the latter part of the 
eighteenth century did there arise a native 
chieftain powerful enough to subdue all the 
islands under his sway and bring peace among 
the warring tribes. This chief was Kame- 
hameha I, or Kamehameha the Great, often 
called the Napoleon of the Pacific. The authen- 
tic history of Hawaii really begins with his 
reign. His portrait in the Executive Building 
in Honolulu shows him as a stern warrior. 

The Japanese, as well as the Spaniards, had 
long known of the existence of islands in that 
part of the Pacific Ocean. Tradition tells of 
some shipwrecked Spanish sailors and some 

48 



The Five Kamehamehas 49 

Japanese who settled there at a very early date. 
These Islands were, however, brought to the 
notice of the civilized world for the first time by 
Captain Cook. 

The Englishmen were received by the simple 
natives with awe and wonder, Captain Cook 
himself was declared by the priests to be an 
incarnation of Lono, god of the forest and hus- 
band of the goddess Laka, and abundant pro- 
visions were brought to the ship as an offer- 
ing to this deity. Had the natives been even 
decently treated, there would have been no 
tragic sequel to the story, but Cook's crew were 
allowed complete and unrestrained license on 
shore. As it was, there was no serious trouble 
during their first visit, but when they returned 
in a few months and again exacted contribu- 
tions the supplies were given grudgingly. The 
English vessel sailed away, but was unfortu- 
nately obliged to put back for repairs, and it 
was then that the fight occurred between the 
foreigners and the natives in which Captain 
Cook met his death. It was this famous voy- 
ager who gave the name of Sandwich Islands 
to the group, in honour of his patron, Lord 
Sandwich. They were known by that name for 
many years, but it was never the official desig- 
nation, and is now seldom used. 



50 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

The discovery of the Islands by Englishmen 
and Americans was fraught with evil conse- 
quences to the natives, as they brought with 
them new diseases, and they also introduced in- 
toxicating liquors, and it soon became the cus- 
tom for whaling vessels in the Pacific to call 
there and make them the scene of debauchery 
and licentiousness. It has been said that at 
that time sea captains recognized no laws, either 
of God or man, west of Cape Horn. We must 
not fail to note, however, that even in those 
early days there were a few white men who 
really sought the good of the Hawaiians. 

Isaac Davis and John Young were two of 
these men. When the crew of an American 
vessel was massacred these two were spared, 
and they continued to live in the Islands until 
their death. They were a bright contrast to 
most seamen who visited Hawaii at that period. 
They accepted the responsibility imposed by 
their training in civilization, exerting a great in- 
fluence for good, and were even advisers and 
teachers of King Kamehameha I. 

Captain George Vancouver, who visited the 
Islands three times in the last decade of the 
eighteenth century under commission from the 
British Government, was another white man 
whose work there was wholly good. He landed 



The Five Kamehamehas 51 

the first sheep and cattle ever seen there, and 
induced the king to proclaim them tabu for ten 
years so that they might have time to increase, 
after which women were to be allowed to eat 
them as well as men. He introduced some val- 
uable plants, such as the grapevine, the orange 
and the almond, and brought the people seeds 
of garden vegetables. He refused them fire- 
arms. Under his direction the first sailing ves- 
sel was built there and called the Britannia. 
Vancouver so won over the natives by his kind 
treatment that the chiefs ceded the Islands to 
Great Britain and raised the British flag in 
February, 1794. He left them with a promise 
to come again and bring them teachers of 
Christianity and the industries of civilization. 
His death, however, prevented his return, and 
Great Britain never took formal possession. 

Kamehameha I, who, at the time of Cook's 
arrival, was only a chief on the island of Ha- 
waii, joined in the tribal wars, conquered the 
other chiefs of that island, and became king. 
While this conquest was in progress, an erup- 
tion of Kilauea destroyed a large part of the 
opposing army and convinced Kamehameha 
that Pele was on his side. 

The subjugation of Maui and Oahu followed. 
At the great battle fought in the Nuuanu Val- 



52 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

ley, the king of Oahu was defeated and driven 
with his army over the Pali. Kamehameha was 
twice prevented from invading Kauai, but some 
years later it was ceded to him by its ruler. 

After the conquest of Oahu was completed, 
in 1795, it was Kamehameha's work to build up 
a strong central government. According to the 
feudal system that had existed in the Islands up 
to that time, all the land was considered to be- 
long to the king, who divided it among the great 
chiefs, these in turn apportioning their shares 
among the lesser chiefs, of whom the people held 
their small plots of ground. All paid tribute 
to those above them in rank. Kamehameha I, 
in order to increase his own power and destroy 
that of the chiefs, distributed their lands to 
them in widely separated portions rather than 
in large, continuous tracts, as had been the cus- 
tom previously. 

Kamehameha was elected by the chiefs as 
king of all the Hawaiian Islands, and founded 
the dynasty called by his name, under which his 
people had peace for nearly eighty years. He 
adroitly used the tabu to strengthen his power, 
and availing himself of the wise advice of the 
few benevolent foreigners whom he knew, he 
sought in every way to further the best inter- 



The Five Kamehamehas 53 

ests of his people. He has been called "one 
of the notable men of the earth. ' ' 

The bronze statue of Kamehameha I stands 
in front of the Judiciary Building in Honolulu. 
The anniversary of the birthday of the great 
ruler occurs in June, and is celebrated by the 
natives far and near. His statue is dressed in 
his royal cape of bird feathers and decorated 
with leis of flowers by the sons and daughters 
of Hawaii. 

The strength of character of Kamehameha I 
is shown in many ways, but especially in the 
stand he took in regard to liquor, which was 
having a disastrous effect on his people. When 
he became convinced that alcoholic drinks were 
injurious, he decided never to taste them again. 

Before the close of his life, he made a noble 
effort to prevent the use of liquor by his people. 
All the chiefs on the island of Hawaii were sum- 
moned to meet in an immense grass house, which 
he had ordered built at Kailua, the ancient cap- 
ital, solely for this council. When they were 
all assembled the King entered in his magnifi- 
cent cape of mamo bird feathers, and draw- 
ing himself up to his full height, uttered this 
command : 

"Beturn to your homes, and destroy every 



54 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

distillery on the island ! Make no more intoxi- 
cating liquors ! ' ' 

At the death of Kamehameha I, in 1819, his 
son Liholiho succeeded him as Kamehameha II. 
Unfortunately, he did not carry out his father's 
wishes. He was like his father in nothing but 
name, being weak and dissipated, and easily in- 
fluenced by the unscrupulous foreigners who 
surrounded him. Many changes took place in 
his reign, but so strong had the government been 
made by his father that it survived them all. 
Fortunately, too, an able woman, one of the 
wives of the first Kamehameha, was associated 
with the King as Queen Eegent. 

Before the end of the year 1819 the Hawaiians 
had burned their idols and abolished tabu. It 
was the influence of Europeans that had led to 
these radical changes. Early in the nineteenth 
century the trade in sandalwood sprang up, in 
return for which many manufactured articles 
were imported, especially rum, firearms and 
cheap ornaments. This trade brought in- 
creased numbers of foreigners to the Islands, 
and their sneers undermined the faith of the 
people in their old gods without offering them 
any other religion as a substitute. 

In this connection, we are told that twice Ka- 
mehameha I made an effort to learn something 



The Five Kamehamehas 55 

about Christianity. When he heard that the 
people of Tahiti had embraced the new faith, 
he inquired of a foreigner about it, but the man 
could tell him nothing. Again, just before his 
death, he asked an American trader to tell him 
about the white man's God, but, as a native 
afterward reported to the missionaries, "He 
no tell him." This greatest of the Hawaiians 
prepared the way, but he himself died without 
hearing of Christ. 

The Hawaiians had now swept their house 
clean, and they were ready for an entirely new 
set of furnishings. In a land far away beyond 
the Pacific these were preparing for them, and 
the short reign of this second Kamehameha was 
made memorable not only by the changes al- 
ready mentioned but also by the coming of the 
missionaries, in 1820. 

Obookiah, whose real name was Opukahaia, 
was a young Hawaiian who shipped as seaman 
on a whaler about 1817, and was taken to New 
Haven, where he found people who befriended 
him and undertook to give him an education. 
They sent him to the Foreign Mission School 
which had been established at Cornwall, Con- 
necticut, for young men from heathen lands. 
Among his mates were four others from his na- 
tive islands. It had been his purpose to carry 



56 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

the Christian religion to his home, but he was 
taken seriously ill at the school and on his death- 
bed he pleaded with his new friends not to for- 
get his country. His appeal led the first mis- 
sionaries to embark for those far-away shores. 
Three young Hawaiians from the school went 
with them as assistants. 

When the Christian teachers arrived, it is 
said that the captain of the ship sent an offi- 
cer ashore with the Hawaiian boys. After 
awhile they returned, shouting out their won- 
derful news: 

"Liholiho is king. The tabus are abolished. 
The idols are burnt. There has been war. 
Now there is peace. ' y 

The missionaries received a cordial welcome 
from some of the natives of high station. The 
former high priest met them with the words, 

"I knew that the wooden images of gods 
carved by our own hands could not supply our 
wants, but I worshiped them because it was a 
custom of our fathers. . . . My thought has al- 
ways been, there is only one great God, dwelling 
in the heavens.' ' 

The chief Kalaimoku, neatly dressed in for- 
eign clothes, boarded the ship, accompanied by 
the two queen dowagers, and welcomed each of 
the newcomers in turn with a warm hand clasp. 



The Five Kamehamehas 57 

One of the queens asked the American women 
to make her a white dress while they were sail- 
ing along the coast, to wear on meeting the 
King. When she went ashore in her new white 
mother hubbard, a shout greeted her from 
hundreds of throats ! Because the gown was so 
loose that she could both run and stand in it, 
the natives called it a holoku, meaning "run- 
stand." It became the national dress. The 
queens afterward sent the missionaries sugar- 
cane, bananas, cocoanuts and other foods, as a 
token of their pleasure. 

The Americans were received kindly by the 
King after explaining their mission and were 
allowed to remain in the Islands. They had 
many trials and privations, but they were strong 
in their faith, and within twenty years they had 
the joy of baptizing thousands of converts. 

Kamehameha II, fearing the Eussians — one 
trader had actually gone so far as to hoist the 
Eussian flag over some forts that he had built 
— visited the United States with his queen and 
then went on to England to ask for protection, 
which was promised them by George IV. They 
both died there, in 1824, and their remains were 
sent home in a British man-of-war, commanded 
by Lord Byron, cousin of the poet. 

When Kamehameha III was made ruler, all 



58 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

the unprincipled white men in Oalm immedi- 
ately set to work to lead him into every form 
of dissipation, but they were not to succeed with 
him as they had with his predecessor. There 
were men of ability in that band of mission- 
aries, and they had great influence with him. 
These faithful advisers had a large share in 
framing the liberal constitution which he 
granted. 

It is of special interest to note that, the year 
before the constitution was adopted, a Bill of 
Eights was promulgated, which set forth the 
fundamental principles of government and is 
often called the Hawaiian Magna Charta. An 
eminent writer has given us the provisions of 
this document. 

It asserts the right of every man to "life, 
limb, liberty, freedom from oppression, the 
earnings of his hand, and the productions of his 
mind, not however, to those who act in viola- 
tion of the laws. It gave natives for the first 
time the right to hold land in fee simple ; before 
that the King had owned all the land, and no 
one could buy it. In this document it is also 
declared that ' protection is hereby secured to 
the persons of all the people, together with their 
lands, their building lots and all their property 
while they conform to the laws of the kingdom,' 



The Five Kamehamehas 59 

and that laws must be enacted for the protec- 
tion of subjects as well as ruler s." 

A commission was also formed to determine 
the ownership of the land. By this commission 
one-third of all the land was confirmed to the 
King, one-third to the chiefs, and one-third to 
the common people. As far as possible the peo- 
ple 's share was so divided that each person re- 
ceived the piece of ground that he was living 
on. The King and many of the chiefs turned 
over one-half of their share to the Government, 
which soon held nearly one-third of all the 
landed property in the kingdom. 

The first constitution was framed in 1840. 
About ten years later an improved one was 
adopted. The legislature was to meet in two 
houses. The nobles were to be chosen by the 
King for life, and were not to be more than 
thirty in number. There were to be not less 
than twenty-four representatives, who were to 
be elected by the people. The Supreme Court 
was to be composed of three members — a chief 
justice and two associate justices. - Four circuit 
courts were to be established, and besides the 
judges for these, each district was to have a 
judge who should settle petty cases. 

It was in 1825, early in the reign of Kame- 
hameha III, that Kapiolani, daughter of the 



60 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

high chief Keawe-mauhili, of Hilo, defied the 
power of Pele. Having become a Christian, she 
determined to give her people an object lesson 
on the powerlessness of their gods. With a 
retinue of eighty persons she journeyed, most 
of the way on foot, one hundred miles to the 
crater of Kilauea. When near the crater, she 
was met by the priestess of Pele, who threatened 
her with death if she broke the tabus. But 
Kapiolani ate the sacred ohelo berries without 
first offering some to the goddess, and un- 
daunted, made her way with her followers down 
five hundred feet to the ' ' Black Ledge. ' ' There, 
on the very margin of the fiery lake of Hale- 
maumau, she addressed her followers in these 
ringing words : 

"Jehovah is my God. He kindled these fires. 
... I fear not Pele. If I perish by the anger 
of Pele, then you may fear the power of Pele ; 
but if I trust in Jehovah, and he should save me 
from the wrath of Pele, then you must fear and 
serve the Lord Jehovah. All the gods of Ha- 
waii are vain!" Then they sang a hymn of 
praise to Jehovah, and wended their way back 
to the crater's rim in safety. 

It was during the reign of Kamehameha III 
that the United States, France and Great 
Britain recognized the independence of the Ha- 



The Five Kamehamehas 61 

waiian Islands. Before this news reached the 
Pacific, however, Lord George Paulet, a British 
naval officer, took possession and hoisted the 
British flag, because the King refused to yield 
to his demands. Five months later, Admiral 
Thomas, in command of Great Britain's fleet in 
the East, appeared at Honolulu and restored 
the country to the natives. In recognition, an 
attractive public park was named for him. At 
the thanksgiving service held on that day, the 
King uttered the words which were afterward 
adopted as the motto of the nation, the transla- 
tion of which is: "In righteousness is the life 
of the land/ ' 

The independence of Hawaii was only once 
again threatened by a foreign power, when a 
French admiral took possession of the fort and 
the government buildings at Honolulu for a 
few days. Indeed, that independence was not 
only recognized but guaranteed by France, Eng- 
land and the United States. 

Many of the missionaries settled in Hawaii, 
and their descendants have become rich and 
prominent citizens. Hawaii owes much to 
them. So far as lay in their power, they taught 
the people trades and introduced New England 
ideals of government and education. Two years 
after they arrived a spelling book was printed, 



62 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

and a few years later the printing office sent 
out a newspaper in the native language. The 
first boarding school for boys was started by 
Lorrin Andrews in 1831, on Maui, and it was not 
long after that one was established for girls. 
The Hilo boarding school, which came later, was 
the one that General Armstrong took many sug- 
gestions from for his work for the coloured peo- 
ple, at Hampton Institute in Virginia. Indeed, 
so eager were the Hawaiians to learn of their 
new teachers that whole villages came to the 
mission stations, gray-haired men and women 
becoming pupils, and the chiefs leading the way. 
As early as 1835, Hoapili, governor of Maui, 
made the rule that all children over four years 
of age should attend school, and no man or 
woman who was unable to read and write should 
hold office or receive a license to marry. Soon 
after that laws were passed making attendance 
at school compulsory. Any man who had a 
child under eight years of age, and did not send 
him to school, was to suffer various penalties, 
among them to forfeit the right to cut the kinds 
of timber that the king set apart for the use of 
the people. To make this provision emphatic, 
the following sentence was added: "All those 
kinds of timber are tabu to those parents who 
send not their children to school. ' ' 



The Five Kamehamehas 63 

An anecdote of this transition period is found 
in a book written by one who styled himself 
simply Haole (a foreigner). In the valley of 
Halawa, on the island of Molokai, he was enter- 
tained at the house of the district judge, a full- 
blooded Hawaiian. Among the furnishings of 
the house were a table, a bedstead, some chairs, 
even a rocking chair. He gives an amusing 
description of his evening meal in this house. 

" First of all, the table was covered with a 
sheet just taken off the bed. The table service 
consisted of a knife, fork and spoon, procured 
from the foot of a long woolen stocking, a sin- 
gle plate, a tumbler, and a calabash of pure 
water from a neighbouring spring. The eat- 
ables were composed of fresh fish, baked in 
wrappers of the ti leaf, a couple of boiled fowls, 
a huge dish of sweet potatoes, and another of 
boiled tara (taro?). . . . The last thing served 
upon the table was something which the family 
had learned to designate by the name of 'tea' in 
English. This was emptied into large bowls, 
and was intended for the family group, myself 
included. . . . 

"The cook was a strapping Kanaka, rather 
more than six feet in height, and would have 
weighed nearly three hundred pounds. While 
I was the only occupant of the table, the fam- 



64 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

ily had formed a circle on their mats, where 
they were discussing their supper with the ut- 
most eagerness. He devoted his entire atten- 
tion to me. He was a good specimen of a well 
poi-fed native. I could see his frame to ad- 
vantage, for his sole dress consisted of a short 
woolen shirt and the malo ; and his head of hair 
resembled that of the pictured Medusa. When 
I first sat down to the table, he took up my 
plate, and with a mouthful of breath, which 
was really a small breeze, he blew the dust 
from it. 

' - This act occasioned me no small merriment. 
But when, in supplying me with 'tea,' he took 
up a bowl and wiped it out with the corner of 
his flannel shirt, I could refrain no longer. I 
laughed until my sides fairly ached and the 
tears streamed down my face. . . . For a mo- 
ment the family were taken by surprise, and so 
was this presiding deity of culinary operations. 
But on a second outburst from myself, they felt 
reassured, and joined with me in my laughter. 
The cook, however, seemed to feel that I had 
laughed at some one of his blunders; so he 
dipped the bowl in a calabash of water, washed 
it out with his greasy fingers, and again wiped 
it out with that same shirt lap. This was done 
three times, in answer to the laughter it was 




QUEEX EMMA. 



The Five Kamehamehas 65 

impossible for me to restrain. And when he 
had filled the bowl with tea, and saw that it re- 
mained untasted, he put a large quantity of 
sugar into the huge tea-kettle, shook it up, 
placed it at my right elbow, and told me to 
drink that! 

"The evening was closed with solemn devo- 
tions. The best bed in the house was placed at 
my disposal ; and upon it was replaced the sheet 
on which I had just before supped, and on which 
I slept during that night. The bed was care- 
fully stuffed with a soft downy substance, re- 
sembling raw silk, but called by the natives 
pulu, and culled from the tree-fern. The pil- 
lows were stuffed with the same material. ' ' 

Kamehameha III was succeeded by his 
nephew and adopted son Kamehameha IV. Al- 
though he had a violent temper, he had many 
good qualities. His wife was Queen Emma, 
granddaughter of John Young, who was very 
English in her tastes. It was in her honour that 
the King founded the Queen's Hospital, and it 
was probably due to her influence that he 
started the Anglican mission and made an ex- 
cellent translation of the English prayer book 
into the Hawaiian language. The harbour of 
Honolulu was enlarged by him and other im- 



66 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

provements were made, and the cultivation of 
rice was introduced. After his death, which 
occurred in San Francisco, Queen Emma made 
an attempt to obtain the crown, but was unsuc- 
cessful. 

It was about this time, thirty years before 
my first visit to Hawaii, that my father, Lieu- 
tenant Perkins of the U. S. S. Lackawanna, was 
ordered to the Pacific, and for two years was 
stationed at Honolulu. He spent much of his 
spare time in traveling over the Islands, even 
to their remotest corners. He enjoyed visiting 
the ranches and joining in the exciting though 
perilous occupation of driving wild cattle down 
from the mountains, where one's safety de- 
pended almost wholly on skilful horsemanship. 
He ascended to the great crater of Kilauea, 
went to every interesting locality, studied the 
natives, attended their feasts and learned their 
customs. These things were described in his 
letters, and such a newspaper bit as the follow- 
ing gives a glimpse of the duties of a naval 
officer. 

"The whaling bark, Daniel Wood, of New 
Bedford, was wrecked on the French Frigates 
Shoal, April 14th. Captain Eichard and a 
portion of the crew arrived at Honolulu after 
a passage of 450 miles in an open boat. The 



The Five Kamehamehas 67 

U. S. S. Lackawanna immediately sailed for the 
scene of the wreck to rescue the remainder of 
the crew." 

Another clipping records this amusing inci- 
dent: "The Commander of the British war 
vessel Chanticleer, at Honolulu, set his band 
playing i Dixie,' alongside the United States 
steamer Lackawanna. The latter retorted with 
* Wearing of the Green.' " 

While the Lackawanna was at Honolulu, an 
event occurred which was referred to in the dis- 
cussions of Congress with regard to Hawaiian 
matters in the session of 1892-1893, as illus- 
trating the policy of our Government. The of- 
ficial record of the Government affords a very 
complete story of how the United States became 
the possessor of what is now called Midway Is- 
land. It was first known as Brooks Island, but 
was renamed by our navy department, prin- 
cipally on the unofficial suggestion of the Pacific 
Mail Steamship Company, in recognition of its 
geographical position on the route from Hawaii 
to Japan. 

The attention of Mr. Welles, then Secretary 
of the Navy, was called to this island as possi- 
bly destined to prove of early importance as 
a coaling station for United States vessels 
cruising in these waters. Secretary Welles is- 



68 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

sued an order to Eear Admiral Thatcher, com- 
manding the Lackawanna or some other suit- 
able vessel to search for the island and having 
found it, to take possession in the name of the 
United States. 

My father's letters give an account of this 
trip. August 4th, 1867, he wrote : 

"Just now we are sailing along quietly, al- 
though we have been greatly startled and had 
a few moments of terrible anxiety. One of the 
men, while furling the top-gallant sail, lost his 
hold and fell overboard. Of course, falling 
from such a height, we all thought he was killed. 
The life buoys were cut away, and the ship 
hove to, and the boat sent for him, which picked 
him up and found him but little hurt after all. 
It was such a narrow escape, we were all greatly 
relieved when we got him aboard all right. Ex- 
cept this, we are sailing along day after day in 
perfect monotony, and for two months or more 
we shall not see a strange face or hear a word 
of news from home. But the weather is de- 
lightful, and my health is good." 

"August 24th. 
"Breakers have been reported from the 
masthead, and I hope it is the island we are 
looking for." 



The Five Kamehamehas 69 

" August 27th. 
"Yes, it proved to be the land we were seek- 
ing, and now we are lying at anchor off 
Brooks Island, called after the captain who 
discovered it a few years ago; and probably 
never before or since has there been any one 
there. It is low and sandy, about six miles long, 
and its inhabitants are only sea gulls and other 
sea birds, seals and turtles. Never having seen 
human beings before, they are not in the least 
afraid of us, and we can catch as many of them 
as we wish. I have been fishing and caught 
a boatload of fish and eleven turtles, each one 
of the latter weighing two hundred pounds and 
over. We are going to remain here and survey 
the island, but to-day it has come on to rain, and 
we are all cooped up on board the ship. ' ' 

" August 28th. 

" Pleasant weather has come again, and I have 
been out hunting and fishing. Shot seventeen 
curlew, hauled the seine, caught a boatload of 
fish and three large turtles; hunted for shells, 
but could not find any. 

"We are going to have quite a ceremony and 
take possession of the islands for the United 
States." 

Captain William Eeynolds, the officer in com- 



70 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

mand of the Lackawanna, was very proud of 
having been concerned in taking possession of 
the first island beyond our own shores ever 
added to the dominion of the United States. In 
his report he well describes the somewhat dra- 
matic and spectacular performance. 

"I have the honour to report that on Wednes- 
day, the 28th of August, 1867, in compliance 
with the orders of the Hon. Secretary of the 
Navy of May 28th, I took formal possession of 
Brooks Island and reefs for the United States. 
Having previously erected a suitable flagstaff I 
landed on that day, accompanied by all the 
officers who could be spared from the ship, with 
six boats armed and equipped, and under a 
salute of twenty-one guns, and with three cheers, 
hoisted the national ensign, and called on all 
hands to witness the act of taking possession 
in the name of the United States. 

"The ceremony of taking possession over, the 
howitzers and small-arm men and marines were 
exercised at target-firing. Having hauled the 
seine and procured an abundant supply of fish, 
the men cooked their dinner on shore, and the 
rest of the day was spent pleasantly, picnic 
fashion upon the island. ... I sincerely hope 
that this will by no means be the last of our 
insular annexations. I venture to name the 



The Five Kamehamehas 71 

only harbour at this island after the present 
Hon. Secretary of the Navy, and to call its 
roadstead after the present Hon. Secretary of 
State (Seward)." 

"In 1869," writes C. S. Alden, in his life of 
Commodore Perkins, "Congress appropriated 
$50,000 for deepening the entrance of the har- 
bour; the work was begun, but the amount 
proved insufficient for completing the plan. 
One hundred miles to the west, Lieutenant-Com- 
mander Sicard, of the U. S. S. Saginaw, who had 
the duties of inspecting and assisting in this 
work, had the misfortune to wreck his ship on a 
reef. The hazardous voyage of Lieutenant Tal- 
bot with three men in a small boat sailing over 
1500 miles to Kauai, Hawaiian Islands, to gain 
succour, and the drowning of all but one of the 
men just as they reached their destination and 
were pushing through the surf to make a land- 
ing, is one of the thrilling tales of the sea. 
Nothing further seems to have been done by our 
Government until three or four decades later, 
when it sought to insure safety to navigation 
by establishing there a lighthouse and buoys. 
After the visits of the Lackawanna and the Sag- 
inaw, the islands were deserted until the Pacific 
Commercial Cable Company placed there a sta- 
tion in the San Francisco-Manila line, main- 



72 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

taining about forty men. This is the interme- 
diate station between Honolulu and Guam. ' ' l 

Kamehameha V was the older brother of the 
last King, and a man of autocratic temper, who 
promulgated a new constitution that increased 
the powers of the king and decreased those of 
the people. He was called Prince Lot before 
he came to the throne. During his reign the 
leper colony on Molokai was started, in an ef- 
fort to stop the spread of leprosy. As every 
one knows, it was here that Father Damien, the 
Catholic priest, devoted his life to caring for 
the sufferers and finally succumbed to the dis- 
ease. The King died in 1872, the last of his 
line. Just before his death, he turned to Mrs. 
Bishop and asked her to become queen. She 
refused, thinking she could serve her people bet- 
ter in some other way, and the King passed 
away without naming his successor. 

It was suggested that either the sister of 
Kamehameha V or one of the high chiefs should 

i Guam belonged to Spain until Colonel Thomas Anderson 
stopped there on his way to the Philippines with the first 
United States troops. The Spanish governor had not even 
heard that war was declared, and when the ships fired, he 
thought it was a salute in his honour. He surrendered the 
fifteen small islands; fourteen were given back to Spain in 
the Treaty of Paris and they were sold to Germany. Guam 
has an excellent harbour. It is under the control of the 
United States Navy at present. Marines are stationed there. 



The Five Kamehamehas 73 

be placed on the throne, but Prince Lunalilo, the 
nearest male relative, was elected in 1874 by the 
people. He was thus the first Hawaiian mon- 
arch to be chosen by popular vote. His reign, 
however, lasted little more than a year. 

David Kalakaua, a high chief, was the choice 
of the people to succeed Lunalilo. The Reci- 
procity Treaty with the United States was 
the great commercial event of this reign. By 
this sugar and some other products were ad- 
mitted into America free of duty. 

This last of ail the kings sought continually 
to regain the authority lost by the crown when 
the first constitution was granted, and his gov- 
ernment kept growing more arbitrary and cor- 
rupt. Finally, so much feeling was roused that 
the foreign element compelled Kalakaua to pro- 
claim a new constitution, by which he lost the 
power he had previously possessed and white 
men gained more control of the government. 
Two years later, the "Wilcox rebellion," headed 
by Eobert W. Wilcox, a half-breed, was the un- 
successful attempt of the natives to assert them- 
selves against the whites. It was, however, 
promptly put down. 

Kalakaua was kind-hearted, popular, and pos- 
sessed a dignity and ease of manner that made 
him at home in any society, although he was dis- 



74 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

sipated and corrupt and could be "hail fellow 
well met" with carousers. Captain Lucien 
Young says of him in his book, "Real Ha- 
waii": 

"Kalakaua was only a high chief, in no way 
related to the extinct royal family, and was 
reputed to be the illegitimate son of a negro 
cobbler, who had emigrated to the Islands from 
Boston." 

On the other hand, the sister of Kalakaua, 
Liliuokalani, who followed him, gives the fol- 
lowing account of their pedigree: 

"My father's name was Kapaakea; my 
mother was Keohokalole ; the latter was one of 
the fifteen counselors of the King, Kame- 
hameha III. My great-grandfather Keawe-a- 
Heulu, the founder of the dynasty of the Kame- 
hamehas, and Keona, father of Kamehameha I, 
were own cousins, and my great-grandaunt was 
the celebrated Queen Kapiolani, one of the first 
converts to Christianity." 

King Kalakaua was the author of the Ha- 
waiian national hymn, which was set to music by 
Captain Berger, leader of the Royal Hawaiian 
Band. It certainly testifies to a firm belief in 
the "divine right of kings." 

"Hawaii's very own, 
Look to your sovran Lord, 



The Five Kamehamehas 75 

Your chief that's heaven-born, 
Who is your King; 

"Men of Hawaii's land, 
Look to your native chiefs, 
Your sole, surviving lords, 
The nation's pride. 

"Men of Hawaiian stock, 
My nation ever dear, 
With loins begirt for work, 
Strive with your might. 

Refrain : 
"Protector, heaven-sent, 
Kamehameha great, 
To vanquish every foe, 
With conquering spear." 

Kalakaua died in San Francisco and his hody 
was taken home in a United States man-of-war. 
His funeral was one of barbaric splendour with 
kahili bearers, superb feather cloaks, and as 
was the custom, with bearers who had shaved 
half their faces and heads. 

Under the kings the Hawaiians had a coat 
of arms. It had on the first and fourth quar- 
ters of the shields eight red, white and blue 
stripes, which represented the eight inhabited 
islands. On the yellow background of the sec- 
ond and third quarters were the tabu sticks — 
white balls with black staffs. These were a sign 
of protection, as well as of tabu. In the center 



The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

■ triangular ft 
across two sp pi of 

tabn and protection. The background repre- 
sents a royal mantle. At th- sup- 

I helmets, the one 
on the right earry:^ the one on the left 

a kahili, or staff used only 
Above I Id is the crown, ornamented with 

twe"- Below is the national m 

; had married an Am 
John C. Domi . Liliuo- 

more determined than her 
-ier had been to restore the an rivi- 

- : the monar She )ld Ha- 

waiian customs, and decided to proclaim a new 
con- power. 

The ~ere on 

but those who composed the 
American : element i the 

nquered. 
A 
then a Pro' Government w -led, 

and a d jdngton to request 

AT1T1 f of 

ann was drawn up. but it wa- :ted 

upon by the Senate before Pr 
term of office ended and Pre- 

_ an. In the meantime, Mr. Steven 



The Five Kamehamehas 77 

ister to Hawaii, had, at the request of the Pro- 
visional Government, put the Islands under the 
protection of the Government of the United 
States. Emissaries of the Queen told their 
story to President Cleveland, who sent a spe- 
cial Commissioner to the Islands to report on 
conditions there. After receiving his report, 
which was far from impartial, the President sent 
an urgent request — really a demand — to the 
Provisional Government to restore the Queen to 
power. It was impossible for free-born Ameri- 
cans to accede to such a demand, and they re- 
plied through Hon. S. B. Dole that the Govern- 
ment "respectfully and unhesitatingly declines 
to entertain the proposition of the President of 
the United States that it should surrender its 
authority to the ex-Queen.' ' Then, in 1894, de- 
spairing of immediate annexation, they formed 
a republic with Mr, Dole as president. 

It was proposed by some of the people that 
Princess Kaiulani, Mr. Cleghorn's daughter and 
the Queen's niece, should be proclaimed queen, 
and a Regency with Mr. Dole at its head estab- 
lished until the Princess came of age. But the 
American element did not feel that an honest 
government would be insured by this means. 
Kaiulani, who was being educated in England, 
came here and issued an appeal to Americans, 



78 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

but was unable to awaken sympathy. She died 
soon after. 

The new Eepublic of Hawaii thus began its 
history under the leadership of the man of whom 
it is said that he ' ' throughout his life had been 
identified with all that was least partizan and 
most upright in the Islands." It is interesting 
to note that a vast amount of political wire-pull- 
ing was guarded against in the constitution then 
adopted by the provision that the President at 
the close* of his term of six years should be * ' in- 
eligible to reelection for the next succeeding 
term. ' ' 

The last native uprising, said to have been 
instigated by the ex-Queen, occurred in 1895, but 
was quickly put down. Among the few who lost 
their lives at this time was Charles L. Carter, 
brother of Governor Carter. Liliuokalani was 
tried for treason, with nearly two hundred of 
her followers, but having formally renounced all 
claim to the Hawaiian monarchy and taken the 
oath of allegiance to the republic, she was par- 
doned. None of the rebels were executed, their 
sentence being commuted in various ways. 

At this time, trouble arose over the large im- 
migration from Japan; the Japanese contract 
labourers showed a bad spirit ; a Japanese man- 
of-war appeared and also a British war ves- 



The Five Kamehamehas 79 

sel ; and it was seen that only annexation to the 
United States could prevent the Islands from 
falling into the hands of some foreign power. 
They <were formally annexed to the American 
republic in 1898. The Territory of Hawaii — 
this is now the official title of the Islands — has 
the same form of government as the other ter- 
ritories of the United States. 1 

As was indeed fitting, the first governor of 
Hawaii was Hon. S. B. Dole. The governor 
and the secretary of the territory are appointed 
by the President. Of the fifty senators and 
thirty members of the House of Representa- 
tives about one-half are Hawaiians. There are 
two official delegates to Washington, one of 
whom is Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole, 
usually called Prince Cupid. 

A series of able men have succeeded Mr. Dole, 
who in 1903 was appointed to another office. 2 
Hon. George R. Carter was the next governor 

i The party at present in power in the United States appears 
to have given very little attention to the Islands, except as a 
source of income for deserving Democrats, if we may judge 
from the latest Democratic platform. That document contains 
the promise, "as soon as practicable, to give a territorial form 
of government to Hawaii." For eighteen years they have had 
it! 

2 When Mr. Dole's term as United States judge expired a 
few months ago, President Wilson refused to reappoint him, 
though all Hawaii petitioned for him. The position was given 
to a Democrat. 



80 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

until his resignation in 1907. Judge Walter F. 
Frear held the position from that time until 
1913, when Governor Pinkham was appointed, 
who is still at the head of affairs in the terri- 
tory. 




CHAPTER IV 

SEKVANT AND SOIL 

IS Americans have always been leaders in 
the Islands, so they were the first to be- 
gin the cultivation of sugar, which is the 
chief occupation. They commenced by using 
their own capital, and then gradually interested 
capitalists from the mainland. The Reciproc- 
ity Treaty between the United States and the 
Islands in 1876 gave a great impetus to the 
sugar industry. Capital, particularly from 
this country, was invested in the Islands, until 
at present crops of more than 600,000 tons are 
shipped away in a year. 

One of the largest sugar plantations in the 
world is that of the Hawaiian Commercial Sugar 
Company on the island of Maui. It was Mr. 
Claus Spreckles who bought crown land of the 
Hawaiian Princess Ruth and by his influence 
with King Kalakaua secured irrigation water 
for this tract at a nominal rental, then formed 
a stock company to carry on the plantation. 
The yearly product of these miles of cane fields 
alone is 60,000 tons. 

81 



82 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

On Maui, Kauai and Hawaii skilfully engi- 
neered tunnels have brought down the water 
needed for sugar raising. On Oahu artesian 
wells have reached ' * the water of magic power. ' ' 

We enjoyed an excursion to Judge Wide- 
mann's plantation of Waianae on Oahu. Here 
we saw a sugar-cane mill and wide meadows and 
brakes of the thick growth, and the whole proc- 
ess of the work — the crushing of the cane into 
molasses, the refining into sugar — and rode on 
the tiny plantation railway among the waving 
green stalks, while the blue sea sparkled on one 
side, and bare, gaily coloured mountains rose 
above us on the other. 

Sugar raising in Hawaii probably furnishes 
the most perfect example of scientific agricul- 
ture to be found under the flag of the United 
States. " Think of always plowing two feet 
deep, ' ' writes a friend, ' ' and not having to wait 
for rain, but telephoning to the engineer to start 
the pumps — of knowing at the end of a crop just 
what elements and the amount of each have been 
taken from the soil — of searching the world for 
parasites to destroy the insect enemies of the 
cane — of collecting and recording the life his- 
tory of all the insects found in countries bor- 
dering the Pacific and all the islands within its 
borders, so that when some new pest appears, 



Servant and Soil 83 

its origin and characteristics will be known — 
of sending men out to wherever sugar-cane is 
grown, in order to study and record its diseases, 
and giving the planter coloured illustrations of 
symptoms, so that he may know them in advance 
of their arrival and be able to check the pest — 
of the skilful manipulation of the soil, so that 
there is a constant increase in the production. ' ' 

In harvesting the cane a path is first opened 
through the jungle, then the men, armed with 
knives like butchers' cleavers, go in among the 
dense growth to cut the stalks. After they 
have " stripped' ' a field in this way, the cane 
must be sent to the mill within twenty-four 
hours, or the juice will ferment. 

Here the Japanese women play their part — 
for, among the Japanese, the women as well as 
the men work on the plantations. They gather 
up the stalks, which are not very heavy but are 
decidedly unwieldy, and if the field is on high 
land take them to wooden flumes through which 
water is run from the irrigation ditches. The 
women toss the great twelve-foot stalks into 
the rapid stream which carries them down to a 
loading place for cane-cars. Here the flume 
branches into five "fingers," at the head of 
which stands a man who opens one finger after 



84 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

another, until the cars standing under them are 
filled in turn. 

Inside the cars are men who stack the cane 
as it tumbles in, so that each car carries a max- 
imum load, laid in good order for the next proc- 
ess at the mill. Here, too, is an automatic 
" giant-hand' ' on an endless belt, the " fingers' ' 
of which, as it revolves, clutch the stalks of cane 
like jackstraws and pass them up to a wide 
belt that extracts every drop of juice so com- 
pletely that the refuse is fit only for fuel for the 
furnaces. After the various processes of boil- 
ing down, evaporating, crystallizing and dry- 
ing, the raw sugar is shoveled into gunny-sacks, 
which are filled to weigh exactly one hundred 
pounds each. Again the women take hold, and 
sew up the bags. The cost of raising and mar- 
keting sugar is from forty-five to seventy-five 
dollars a ton. 

Japanese women who work on the sugar 
plantations may be seen sometimes knee-deep 
in muddy-watery soil near the flumes, or again 
out in the driest, hottest part of a newly 
plowed field. They have discarded their usual 
Japanese dress for a mixed costume, consisting 
of a close-fitting waist of dark, figured, Japa- 
nese cotton crepe, a scant skirt to the knee, 



Servant and Soil 85 

khaki gaiters, and their own heavy cotton 
"bootees." To protect their hair from dust 
and their necks from the sun, they wear a piece 
of Japanese toweling, which is tied across the 
back of the head and hangs down on the shoul- 
ders. On top of this is perched a cheap Ameri- 
can sailor hat. The effect is certainly startling. 
Some take their tiny babies in bright-figured 
swaddling clothes with them, and put up a little 
shelter tent of cloth and sticks, where the young- 
sters lie and sleep. 

Most of the women who do agricultural work 
are Japanese. A few years ago, when a ship- 
load of people came from Madeira, the women 
told the immigration authorities that they had 
come to work on the plantations. But, after a 
very short time, they retired from this sort of 
labour for the much pleasanter and more re- 
munerative business of making Madeira em- 
broidery. Among the Chinese the women 
rarely go out of their own homes to work, al- 
though Oriental servants prevail all over these 
Islands. Some of the younger generation of 
Portuguese girls go out as nursemaids in white 
families, but the majority of that race make 
sewing and dressmaking or "clerking" their 
means of support. It is surprising, indeed, to 
see how few of the employees in any store are 



86 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

"white"; bookkeepers, clerks, etc., are usually- 
young part-Hawaiians or part-Chinese. 

From the beginning, when sugar was ready 
for export, it was rarely shipped from the Ha- 
waiian Islands in any but American bottoms. 
The American-Hawaiian Steamship Company — 
the largest fleet sailing under the Stars and 
Stripes and numbering twenty-eight vessels — 
the Oceanic Steamship Company, and the Mat- 
son Navigation Company, were all formed 
largely because of the favourable contracts they 
were able to make for carrying sugar, and the 
Pacific Mail Steamship Company, which plied 
between California and the Far East, stopped 
at Honolulu because of the profit to be made by 
carrying freight from the Islands. American 
shipping on the Pacific, however, has always 
been at a disadvantage, because foreign ships 
can be built more cheaply than ours and are 
usually subsidized. 

As if these drawbacks were not enough, dur- 
ing the present Congress the Seaman's Act, 
somewhat modified now to be sure, has had a 
disastrous effect on American shipping on the 
Pacific Ocean. The American boats used to 
carry crews of well trained Chinamen. Under 
this act the majority of the crew must be Eng- 
lish-speaking sailors and they cannot be pro- 



Servant and Soil 87 

cured in sufficient numbers nor can such boats 
generally be run with, sufficient economy to 
compete with foreign flags. So trans-Pacific 
trade has been given over almost entirely to the 
Japanese, who have especially fine passenger 
ships on that route to-day. As, according to 
our laws, these boats are not permitted to carry 
passengers or freight between American ports, 
the service between the Islands and the United 
States has been seriously crippled with conse- 
quent increase in rates of carriage. A resi- 
dent in the Islands writes, "When the last 
Pacific Mail steamer sailed from Honolulu Har- 
bour, all flags were at half mast and Hawaii was 
in mourning." 

Still, the planters are cheerful. For 1916, 
they look forward to an estimated production of 
603,000 tons and a continuance of the present 
high prices, which will enable them not only to 
pay good dividends but also to install labour- 
saving machinery and to make other improve- 
ments, by which they will produce sugar more 
cheaply when the present era of high prices is 
over. The shipments of raw sugar from Ha- 
waii for the year ending June 30, 1915, sold for 
more than $51,000,000. 

Next in importance to the sugar industry is 
the production of pineapples. These are raised 



88 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

only on the higher ground. The land is as 
carefully prepared as a garden, and the soil 
thoroughly pulverized. The plants are set in 
furrows, and there are sometimes as many as 
twelve thousand to the acre. They mature their 
fruit in about two years. When the pineapple 
ripens, from the lower part of the stump suck- 
ers appear, which bear fruit one year later. 
These in turn grow suckers that come into 
bearing the following year. Besides these 
there are slips, that spring from the upper 
part of the parent plant. New plants are 
grown not only from suckers and slips, but 
also from the crowns of the fruit, and growers 
consider them all about equally good. The 
plants almost never produce seeds, and when 
found, they are used for experimental purposes 
only. 

There are 24,000 acres of land in the pine- 
apple plantations of the Islands, and most of 
them are on Oahu. There is never any frost, 
and as there are no serious insect pests which 
attack the fruit the crop is a very fine one. Nor 
is irrigation necessary, so that thousands of 
acres unavailable for sugar have brought in 
millions of dollars to those who own or rent 
these plantations. 

The fields are carefully picked over every day 



Servant and Soil 89 

or two, and only perfectly ripe frnit is gath- 
ered. Hawaiian pineapples are rich in sugar 
when fully matured, but if picked green, they 
contain little sugar, and gain none after they 
are taken from the plant. Extensive experi- 
ments have shown that the Smooth Cayenne 
variety is far superior to all others, and it is 
now the only one grown in the Islands. In no 
instance are the fields more than a few miles 
from the cannery, and the fruit is put in the 
tins as soon as possible after it is picked. The 
Hawaiian canneries are equipped with labour- 
saving machinery. Aside from grading the 
slices and filling the cans, all the work is done 
by machines. The employees who handle the 
fruit wear rubber gloves with gauntlets, and 
the most modern sanitary methods are observed 
throughout. Every night everything in the 
factory is washed, steamed and scrubbed as 
clean as possible. 

When the fruit arrives at the cannery, it 
passes into a machine which first cuts off both 
ends, then takes out the core and removes the 
rind. It is then conveyed to another, which 
slices the whole pineapple in one operation. 
From here it passes on a moving belt in front 
of a line of workers, who select the perfect cy- 
lindrical pieces for the first grade. 



90 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

From the packing table the tins go to the 
syrup machine, where the fruit is covered with 
a syrup made of clear water and granulated 
sugar, thence to the exhaust box and double 
sealer, where it is heated and the cover sealed 
on the can. Then the can is conveyed to the 
cooker, where it is submerged in boiling water 
from twenty to thirty-five minutes, after which 
it is left in the cooling room about twelve hours, 
and then stacked in the warehouse until re- 
quired for shipment. 

The history of this industry is interesting. 
Only small amounts were canned previous to the 
year 1901. There has been a steady increase 
ever since, with a total output in 1914 of over 
2,000,000 cases from nine canneries. Nothing 
like this rapid increase in production and dis- 
tribution has ever been known before in the 
canned-fruit trade. California, as every one 
knows, is the greatest fruit-producing section 
in the world, and her canned fruits are found 
in practically every market, yet her average 
total pack, of every variety except apples, from 
1901 to 1910, was only about one-third more than 
the pack of Hawaiian pineapples alone in 1914. 
The total value of those shipped to the United 
States for the year ending June 30, 1915, was 
nearly $6,000,000. 



Servant and Soil 91 

Besides the other important staples raised 
by the planters for export, coffee and rice are 
produced in large quantities — over 3,000,000 
pounds of each. The coffee grown in the dis- 
trict of Kona is famous. The Chinese are es- 
pecially good at market gardening. The Ha- 
waiians also plant taro for poi, which, although 
now manufactured by machinery, is still their 
favourite food, and is also eaten by the whites. 
Doctors pronounce it most digestible and 
strengthening. Duke Kahanamoku, a native 
who has always lived on poi, is the champion 
swimmer of the world. It is true that not only 
poi but also the climate is favourable to our 
race as well, for white boys brought up in Ha- 
waii have proved themselves to be strong, all 
those who have gone into athletics in American 
colleges having made fine records. 

In addition to the products of the large plan- 
tations, wool, hides and skins from the ranches 
are exported to a considerable extent. The 
Shipman stock ranch, near Hilo, has been car- 
ried on for more than forty years. The Parker 
ranch, however, is the largest, having 18,000 
head of cattle — Herefords and Holsteins. The 
long pods of the algaroba tree furnish a large 
part of the feed for cattle and horses. This is 
the carob tree of the New Testament, the pods of 



92 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

which were the husks that the Prodigal Son fed 
to the swine he tended. In the earlier days, 
guano from the bird islands was exported, for 
use as a fertilizer. 

While plantation life in the Islands may be 
monotonous for the resident, it is full of inter- 
est for the tourist who really takes time to see it. 
An effort is made by the planters to furnish 
recreation for their labourers. At Waialua on 
Oahu a large hall has been built, where moving- 
picture shows are given at intervals, political 
meetings are held, and there are dances for the 
white colony. The latter have tennis courts 
near their homes and hold tournaments, to 
which they invite players from other planta- 
tions. As work is over at four o'clock — the 
hours being from five to eleven in the morning 
and two to four in the afternoon — the men who 
work in mill, store or office can play every after- 
noon. 

The Portuguese, Japanese and Hawaiian boys 
have formed a baseball team, which represents 
the plantation in a league of such teams. There 
are match games by this league at different 
places every Sunday. The Japanese at Waia- 
lua have a theater, the occasional performances 
at which are announced during the day by a man 
who drives through all parts of the plantation 



Servant and Soil 93 

in a hack covered with Japanese signs, beating 
a drum. 

The native Hawaiians in country districts 
often present " tableaux" for the benefit of their 
church or some charity fund. A friend of mine 
told me she had once gone to a representation of 
"Adam and Eve" which would have seemed 
either sacrilegious or ridiculous if done by any 
but these ingenuous, grown-up children. The 
minister of the church played the part of Satan, 
in a bright red union suit with a long tail; a 
large native, in flowing white robes, with a 
Santa Claus beard and mask, took the part of 
the Deity and banished Adam and Eve, in brown 
union suits the colour of their skin, from the 
Garden of Eden. Other tableaux gave very 
vivid portrayals of scenes from ancient days of 
royalty, with its attendant pomp and ceremony, 
and old Hawaiian legends. One of these was 
about Paahana, a young Hawaiian girl, who was 
afraid of the white settlers, and ran away to 
the mountains, building herself a shelter of 
grass among the bushes. . Finally she was dis- 
covered by the white missionaries, who tried to 
approach her, but she was wild with fear, and 
vanished from sight into the forest. This story 
was told in verse, sung to the tune of "Mauna 
Kea, ' ' a hula dance. 



94 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

These entertainments are never complete 
without a dance for young and old, to music 
sung and played by a quintette of native boys. 
Besides the ukulele and the taro-patch, which 
is a large ukulele with five strings instead of 
four, they use the mandolin, violin, guitar and 
bass-viol. The Hawaiians, being naturally mu- 
sical, have a keen sense of time and rhythm. 
The Filipinos are also fond of dancing, and in 
the Libby, McNiel and Libby pineapple can- 
nery, where many of this nationality are em- 
ployed, dances are held to make them more 
contented with their isolated life. 

Among the plantation labourers there is never 
the abject poverty that is known in the Far 
East for, in addition to steady wages, houses, 
water, fuel and doctor's services are all pro- 
vided for them. Although the climate is semi- 
tropical sunstroke is unknown. The men who 
work around the machinery and the boiling 
sugar wear as few clothes as possible, and the 
women who sew up the bags of sugar as fast as 
they are filled, have adopted the cool and com- 
fortable but hideous Hawaiian garb of the ho- 
loku. The heat from the great boilers in the 
mill is sometimes hard for the white men to bear, 
but I have never heard of a case of heat-prostra- 
tion. 



Servant and Soil 95 

As a large part of the school work must be 
done on the plantations I insert the following 
description, given me by one of the teachers 
of the school at Waialua, Oahu, the largest out- 
side of Honolulu. 

"As the pupils are almost entirely foreign, 
the first grade has three divisions, to accommo- 
date the number who enter it until they are able 
to speak enough English to be properly graded. 
Sometimes one finds here children of twelve to 
fourteen years who have just come to Hawaii. 
As a rule, they work hard to get out of the ' baby- 
grade,' and are quickly promoted. 

"I was the only white teacher in the school 
besides the principal. The other teachers were 
Hawaiian, half-white and Chinese Hawaiian 
girls who had gone through the Honolulu Nor- 
mal School. They are good teachers, kind and 
patient, and can instruct children in the same 
slow manner in which they themselves learn. 
There was also a young Hawaiian man, a Nor- 
mal graduate, who could help in many extra 
ways, such as map-drawing, chorus-leading, 
games, etc. 

"Fifteen nationalities were represented in the 
various grades — Hawaiian, Chinese, Japanese, 
Portuguese, Filipino, Spanish, Korean, Porto 
Rican, and a few Scotch, English, Canadians, 



96 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

Germans and Americans, as well as Russians 
and Italians. Besides the pure bloods there 
were many mixtures, such as American-Hawai- 
ian, Chinese-Hawaiian, Japanese-Portuguese, 
German-Hawaiian, etc. 

"The Japanese and Chinese were the best pu- 
pils in every way. The Hawaiians were tract- 
able, but stupid; Portuguese, smart but mis- 
chievous. School hours were from nine to 
twelve, and from half past twelve to two. Most 
of the children came from long distances, and 
after the plantation school was dismissed, the 
Japanese children went to a Japanese school for 
two hours. 

' ' In the first grade, I taught reading, writing 
and 'rithmetic; also nature-study, in simple 
form, story-work, folk songs and dances. These 
last helped them a great deal in the new vocab- 
ulary, as they loved that part of the day's pro- 
gram. 

"It was interesting to note the habits of the 
different nationalities at recess, especially in re- 
gard to their luncheon. The Japanese usually 
were together out in the yard. They each had 
their little tin pail with top and bottom section, 
in which they carried fish and cold rice. I never 
got a very close look at it, to know how the 
fish was cooked, but I could smell it afar off! 



Servant and Soil 97 

They seemed very shy, and would try to hide 
their lunch as I walked past. The Chinese were 
even shyer about their lunch, for they never 
gathered together, as the other nationalities did, 
but went to some secluded spot and nibbled 
away at an orange or something else. 

"The Portuguese usually brought long rolls 
of bread, which had been cut open and a red 
jelly-like substance spread all along the inside. 
They also had fruit, and especially the mango 
in its season. 

"A little Japanese store nearby kept cakes 
and pastries, which were very popular when the 
children had money, but the greatest delicacy 
sold there seemed to be a rubbery substance, 
which looked like a piece of resin, but could be 
shaved in long strips. They called it dry squid, 
but it did not seem like the dry squid IVe tried 
to masticate at native luaus, and I' never did 
find out just what it was. 

"The schools are all supported by the terri- 
torial government, which in turn receives the 
plantation taxes, so the plantations themselves 
do not directly support the schools, although the 
children of the labourers comprise nine-tenths 
of the pupils outside Honolulu. 

1 i There is compulsory attendance until the age 
of fourteen, and at Waialua a school policeman 



98 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

— a Hawaiian — went all over the plantations on 
horseback and found out if any of the children 
were ill or playing truant. ' ' 

Each nationality is housed more or less by 
itself in small, one-story houses built in rows, 
each group called a camp. The white men em- 
ployed as chemists, bookkeepers and clerks in 
the general store usually live in a group near 
the buildings where they are employed. They 
are German, Scotch, Norwegian, English and 
Danish. Few Americans go into this work now, 
although a number did in years past start out 
as time-keepers and have become managers. 
The Kanaka does not make a good manager, 
but if he has some one to direct him he works 
well, and he can learn almost any trade; of 
course he is at his best as a sailor, and he is 
such a wonderful rider that he makes an excel- 
lent cowboy. 

At Waialua there is a small hospital where the 
labourers are treated free, and in at least one of 
the outlying camps there is a small cottage that 
is used as a dispensary. The plantation doctor 
has charge of the school children, vaccinating 
all that need it at the opening of the school year 
and watching them for signs of trachoma or lep- 
rosy. 

Social work on plantations has not been car- 



Servant and Soil 99 

ried on with a central organization as yet, and 
the welfare of the labourers depends on the at- 
titude of the managers, who all belong to the 
Sugar Planters ' Association. This holds yearly 
meetings of a week or more in Honolulu, when 
managers from all the Islands talk over ques- 
tions pertaining to their interests. 

The agricultural situation in the Islands has 
been carefully studied by the Bureau of Agri- 
culture and Forestry, which reports that there 
are no other crops than sugar and pineapples 
which can be recommended as a reliable industry 
for the territory. This is true for several im- 
portant reasons. 

In the first place, from an agricultural point 
of view Hawaii is not a tropical country, and 
the strictly tropical crops do not find optimum 
climatic conditions. Neither has Hawaii a tem- 
perate climate, and the staple products of the 
temperate zone cannot be relied upon. 

The distance from the mainland markets im- 
poses a serious handicap. Moreover, both in- 
ter-island and inter-community transportation 
is difficult and expensive, because Hawaii is a 
group of comparatively small, mountainous is- 
lands with very few harbours. 

It should be borne in mind, moreover, that 
the area of cultivated land in Hawaii is very 



100 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

small, the amount reclaimable still smaller, while 
the needs of a growing population must be met. 
This, of course, means intensive cultivation and 
a high average rate of wealth production per 
acre. In the ten-year period from 1900 to 1910, 
the population increased 24.6 per cent and the 
area of tillable land 3.6 per cent. The cen- 
sus reports also show that Hawaii is already 
cultivating its land far more intensively than 
the mainland states; for example, it supports 
twenty-two times as many persons per acre of 
improved arable land as the agricultural state 
of North Dakota. Clearly, the problem in Ha- 
waii is peculiarly difficult. 

It is true, also, that practically all tropical 
industries demand a plentiful supply of cheap 
labour. Labour in Hawaii is neither cheap nor 
plentiful. In this respect, the Islands are at a 
disadvantage compared with nearly all tropical 
countries, but much money has been spent on 
the industries, and the results are certainly en- 
couraging. 

How to secure cheap labour has always been a 
serious question for the planters. The Bureau 
of Immigration was established in 1876. When 
the Eeciprocity Treaty with the United States 
was signed, several thousand Portuguese were 
sent for by the government and the planters, 



Servant and Soil 101 

and many of them have remained in the country 
and become good citizens. About the year 1888, 
however, it was decided that the Chinese and the 
Japanese should be encouraged to come, because 
the cost of transportation for them was so much 
less. For some years the larger part of the la- 
bourers were of these two nationalities. The 
Japanese are still far in excess of all others, 
numbering over 93,000. After annexation, 
when the Congress of the United States pro- 
hibited immigration by the yellow races, Ha- 
waii was obliged to seek a supply from other 
sources. Filipinos, of whom there are only 
8,000, are next in number to the Japanese; 
Portuguese, Chinese, Spaniards, and Porto 
Eicans stand next. 

After the expenses of the voyage were paid, 
the labourers did not always keep their agree- 
ment to work, so contract labour was intro- 
duced. Although some objections have been 
made to the contract system in Hawaii, it must 
have proved fairly satisfactory to both parties, 
for in those days a large number of labourers 
would sign a second contract on the same terms, 
showing at least that they were well treated and 
paid according to agreement. 

In some cases, Chinese and Japanese labour- 
ers remained in the Islands after their contract 



102 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

expired, and settled there permanently. Many 
of the Chinese became merchants. The Portu- 
guese went into fruit raising, and the Japanese 
kept mostly to the coffee plantations. In those 
days, the Japanese had labour unions, and they 
were sometimes troublesome. 

Hawaii, owing to the lack of coal and iron and 
other minerals, can never be a manufacturing 
country, hence must always depend largely upon 
the United States for such goods. The Islands 
spend a large part of $60,000,000 yearly for im- 
ported articles, although, since Hawaii is a ter- 
ritory of the United States, goods received from 
the American mainland are not classified in 
census returns as imports. 

"With the opening of the Panama Canal, the 
Hawaiian Islands are a necessary coaling sta- 
tion between the Atlantic Coast and the Far 
East. In anticipation of increased traffic, the 
harbours have been enlarged, new wharves 
built, a floating drydock installed, the channel 
widened and deepened in the harbour of Hono- 
lulu, breakwaters built at Hilo and Kahului, 
modern freight- and coal-handling apparatus 
provided, and fuel oil depots established. 



CHAPTER V 

IN AND OUT 

HONOLULU itself the traveler may per- 
haps be able to see in a day, with Ameri- 
can rush, while the steamer stops on the 
way to Japan. To take trips on Oahu, go surf- 
riding, indulge in a luau, visit the plantations, 
and make an excursion to the volcanoes in the 
other islands, you must stay at least a few 
weeks, so that you may really see it all and have 
time to dream of its wonderful beauties. 

Honolulu is the oldest, and so by far the most 
attractive, town in the Islands. Besides visits 
to Waikiki, the Pali, and Punchbowl, there are 
many delightful excursions on the island of 
Oahu. The Trail and Mountain Club has made 
excellent paths to the mountain tops, where you 
can get superb views. The lovely falls of 
Kaliuwaa are especially celebrated, while a trip 
to Hauula is pleasant. The coral gardens are 
entrancing, and near these one can see the larg- 
est wireless station in the Islands. In the great 
pineapple district, Wahiawa, there is a good 

103 



104 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

hotel and fine bass fishing, and not far away is 
a big military camp. 

To-day the excursion to the other islands is 
made fairly comfortable on the steamers of the 
Inter-Island Navigation Company, and one can 
motor to the very brink of Kilauea. But at 
the time of our first visit the journey was some- 
thing to be endured, for the sake of the wonders 
at the end. The story has been often told by 
travelers, yet it may be worth while to recount 
our own experiences. 

The trip certainly could not be recommended 
for pleasure in those days. The tiny boat was 
loaded down with pigs and cattle and sickly 
smelling sugar. The crossings were far worse 
than the English Channel, and our wretched 
little steamer reeled before the winds and tossed 
upon the waves. To add to our discomfort, the 
boat was by no means swift, and hours were con- 
sumed between the innumerable small landing- 
places. When we had the pleasure of stepping 
on solid earth once more, we found very poor 
hotels, if you could call them by that name, and 
finally, we were disappointed in the volcano 
itself, which was not active enough to suit us. 

At our departure from Honolulu, we were 
quite covered with leis by the kind friends who 
gathered at the dock to see us off. Our boat 



In and Out 105 



plunged almost immediately into the high seas 
of the channel between Oahu and Molokai. 
As we passed the latter island, we had a distant 
view of the leper colony, on a triangle of level 
land, at the foot of a precipice three thousand 
feet high that effectually guards the patients 
from the landward side. 

At first the lepers resisted the attempt to 
banish them to the colony, and their relatives, 
who seemed to have no fear of the disease, con- 
cealed those who were afflicted, but this opposi- 
tion decreased as the natives learned that the 
lepers were to be supported in comfort by the 
Government. They have a school, a library, 
newspapers, musical instruments, a theater, 
even moving-picture shows now, I am told — in 
short, everything is done to make their lives as 
pleasant and comfortable as possible. 

Mark Twain writes of a beautiful custom in 
the colony. " Would you expect,' 7 he says, "to 
find in that awful leper settlement a custom 
worthy of transplanting to your own country? 
When death sets open the prison door of life 
there the band salutes the very soul with a burst 
of golden music. ' ' 

On this island where the natives have retained 
their primitive habits and beliefs more than on 
the others of the group, the Poison God was 



106 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

saved at the time the idols were destroyed, a 
hundred years ago. It was kept here in charge 
of kahunas until near the end of the last cen- 
tury, and it is not definitely known whether it 
may not even now be in existence. This hideous 
image seems to have had the power to kill those 
who handled it. It has been suggested that it 
was made of some poisonous wood, and only 
the priests knew how to hold it without harm. 

The boat reeled on through another rough 
passage to the double island of Maui, consisting 
of two great mountain peaks joined by a low 
isthmus of lava, which by degrees filled up the 
channel between the two original islands. We 
made endless stops, and by means of small boats 
took on and off freight, cattle, and passengers 
— native, Chinese and Japanese. 

Our first landing was at Lahaina, once the 
capital of the group and the rendezvous for all 
the whaling ships in the Pacific. Now it is a 
dilapidated village, attractive only for its beau- 
tiful situation. 

At Wailuku, at the northern end of the isth- 
mus, was the home of " Father Alexander," well 
known as one of the early missionaries. The 
name Wailuku means " Water of Destruction. ' ' 
A great battle was fought near here by Kame- 
hameha the Great. 



In and Out 107 



Unfortunately we were unable to see the Ditch 
Trail, so well described by Jack London, or 
visit the famous Iao Valley, of which we had 
read such glowing descriptions. The entrance 
to this "gulch" is by a dark, wooded gorge' 
that broadens out into an amphitheater sur- 
rounded by precipices as lofty as those of the 
Yosemite. These cliffs are covered with masses 
of trees, shrubs, and graceful, feathery ferns, 
which are veiled in turn by the mists from a 
thousand waterfalls. At the head of the valley 
stands the Needle, a natural watch-tower — of 
rock, but green with a luxuriant vegetation — 
to which the defeated army retreated in the 
battle of the Wailuku. 

East Maui consists entirely of the huge ex- 
tinct volcano of Haleakala, "house built by the 
sun. ' ' This, the largest extinct volcano on the 
surface of the globe, lifts its enormous crater, 
twenty miles in circumference, to the height of 
ten thousand feet above the sea. Some titanic 
eruption blew off the top of the mountain and 
scooped it out to the depth of two thousand feet. 
From the bottom of this vast cavity rise many 
cones — the largest a hill of seven hundred feet — 
and there are two great gaps in the walls, 
through which lava flows once made their way 
down to the plain. Here and there on the desert 



108 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

that forms the floor of the crater are scattered 
clumps of silver sword, with long leaves shining 
in the sun. This plant grows only at a high 
altitude. Hunting for it is like hunting for the 
edelweiss in Switzerland. Its nearest botanical 
relative is found in the Himalaya Mountains. 
From the highest point of the rim of Haleakala 
these plants are said to appear about the size 
and brightness of silver dollars. 

Glad enough we were to land at Hilo — Ha- 
waiian for "new moon." It takes its name 
from the superb crescent of the bay, two miles 
in length, perhaps the most beautiful on the 
shores of the Pacific Ocean. At one end of the 
semicircle is Cocoanut Island, crowded with 
glorious palms that seem eager for the salt 
water, stretching their heads far out over it, as 
if they would drink it up. As it is on the wind- 
ward side of the island, the trade winds bring 
Hilo a yearly rainfall of 150 inches, and the 
result is seen in the luxuriance of the vegetation, 
which nearly hides the buildings of the little 
city in its depths. With the bay in front, the 
dense forest belt in the rear, and the towering 
masses of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa in the 
background, the situation of Hilo is glorious in 
its beauty. 

On the thirty-mile trail to the crater we 





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SILVEKSWORD IN BLOOM, IN THE CRATER OF HALEAKALA. 



In and Out 109 



passed first between the brakes of cane planta- 
tions, then through a fine tropical forest. 
Among the trees we could see many gay and 
beautiful flowers, curious fruits and enormous 
tree ferns, while in the interior were lovely 
glades and the little bungalows of the coffee 
planters. But the island was only just being 
developed, so there were numbers of ranches 
in the first stages of raw newness. 

A search through the forests on some of the 
islands would disclose the beautifully coloured 
landshells. These exquisite little creatures 
grow on the leaves of the trees. Many of the 
native birds have become extinct; there were 
originally seventy varieties. Game birds, how- 
ever, have been introduced from America and 
China, and from other countries both north and 
south, including wild turkeys, quail, pheasants 
and ducks. 

We arrived at the crater late at night, to find 
only a miserable hotel with a drunken propri- 
etor. (Liars had told us it was good.) We 
were forced to pass the night there, but stayed 
the next day only long enough to visit the 
crater. 

Kilauea was for us a great disappointment. 
It is not imposing in its situation, lying low on 
the gradual slope of Mauna Loa. We had been 



110 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

thrilled by pictures of the great pit of Halemau- 
mau, the ' ' house of everlasting fire. ' ' * We had 
read of fountains of fire thrown a thousand feet 
into the air, of great fissures from which burst 
clouds of deadly sulphurous vapours, of inde- 
scribable terrors as huge billows of glowing 
lava surged against the rim of the pit, of chang- 
ing colours, marvelous beauty, of ropes and ser- 
pents of cooling rock in a myriad writhing and 
contorted shapes, of raging floods pouring down 
to the plain in rivers of fire from one-half to 
two miles in width. But alas! none of these 
wonders were for us. We saw only a far- 
stretching lake of cold, black lava, over which 
we could walk for miles, as safe as if we were at 
home. Out of a pit in the center rose a column 
of white vapour — which did not even smell in- 
fernal. Pele was sleeping. 

We had three days to wait in Hilo until our 
steamer should be ready to return to Honolulu. 
The hotel was a funny little one, near the sea, 
but we were fairly comfortable, and amused 
ourselves in various ways. For one thing, we 
tried several of the delicious tropical fruits that 
were to be had here — water-lemons, mangoes, 

i Castle says Halemaumau really means, "home of the 
Maumau fern," this fern having a leaf much like the curled 
and twisted lava in shape. 



In and Out 111 



papayas, mountain apples and guavas. We 
went on a picnic, and some one was kind enough 
to lend me a riding habit and a pony that had 
won some races. I rode astride, in native 
fashion. This was my first but by no means my 
last experience of this most natural and com- 
fortable mode of riding. Then I had an old 
native woman to lomi-lomi me — Hawaiian for 
massage — as I was very lame from my long 
rides, and I was as much amused by her as bene- 
fited by her treatment. 

We decided this was our opportunity to see 
a hula, and asked the coachman at the hotel to 
make arrangements for us at a native house. 
As part of the preparations, he gave the per- 
formers some wine, so the dance was in full 
swing when we arrived. They had made leis, 
which they put on us and also on themselves. 
A fat but good looking native woman in a holoku 
danced, while some others played. Another 
pretty native woman said she was dying to 
dance, but her husband, a white man, was not 
willing, and the last time she did it he beat her, 
so she did not dare to try again. It was a 
strange scene — the native house, the dim lights, 
and the wild, suggestive dance. 

The trip back to Honolulu, though only two 
hundred miles in length, occupied two nights 



112 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

and a day of rough and tumble sailing, after 
which we were happy to get to our bungalow 
and Chinaman once more. 

Now, the Inter-Island boats leave Honolulu 
twice a week for Hilo and once a week for 
Kona and Kau, on the lee side of the island. It 
is quite a different trip from that in the old 
days. On the way to Hilo the first landing is 
usually at Kawaihae, an insignificant village, of 
no interest except for the great heiau of Kame- 
hameha I, the last heathen temple erected in the 
Islands, dating from 1791. It is over two hun- 
dred feet long and one hundred feet wide, and 
the walls are twelve feet thick at the base. 
When this temple was dedicated to the favourite 
war-god of the King, besides vast quantities of 
fruit and great numbers of hogs and dogs, 
eleven human beings were sacrificed on the altar. 

Hilo is to-day a modern city of 10,000 people, 
and the shipping point for all the sugar raised 
on the windward side of the island. A breakwa- 
ter now in process of construction will make its 
harbour a perfectly safe anchorage for mer- 
chant ships. 

One may make the entire circuit of the island 
by motor from Hilo. On a branch road from 
the highway to Kilauea is Green Lake, an 
emerald-tinted sheet of water occupying an old 



In and Out 113 



crater. In the forest surrounding this lake the 
rare pink begonia, an exquisite plant, used to 
grow, but I am told by Mr. Castle it has become 
extinct. 

Continuing to the southwest, the road passes 
through the district of Kau to Kona. Here, 
indeed, is the "Paradise of the Pacific.' ' Pro- 
tected from the trade winds by the huge moun- 
tain masses of Mauna Loa and Hualalai, it en- 
joys mild breezes from the west, which blow 
in from the sea all day long but give place at 
sunset to a wind from the mountain that cools 
the night. The Hawaiians have a saying that 
in Kona "people never die; they dry up and 
blow away. ' ' Daily showers toward sunset and 
at night keep the vegetation ever fresh and 
green, and make this a rich agricultural region. 

Honaunau, in Kona, contains the largest of 
the "cities of refuge,' ' in the walls of which are 
stones weighing several tons raised as high as 
six feet from the ground. Within these massive 
walls were three large heiaus, also houses for 
the priests and refugees. The gates were 
always open, and the fugitive who had crossed 
the threshold was absolutely safe. Old men, 
women, little children, defeated soldiers, all 
were received here, and when once the great 
gods had taken them under their protection, 



114 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

they were safe even when they returned to 
their homes. 

It was on the coast of Kona, at Kaawaloa, 
that Captain Cook was killed by the natives. A 
monument has been erected there, which bears 
this inscription : " In Memory of the Great Cir- 
cumnavigator Captain James Cook, R. N., who 
discovered these islands on the 18th of January, 
a. d. 1778, and fell near this spot on the 14th of 
February, a. d. 1779. This monument was 
erected in November, a. d. 1874, by some of his 
fellow countrymen. ' ' 

At Kailua, a seashore village further north, 
is the old palace of the kings of the islands. 
This is far from imposing in its appearance. 
At this place one may watch a primitive method 
of shipping cattle. With their horns tied to the 
side of a rowboat, the poor creatures are 
dragged through the water to the steamer, then 
are hoisted on board by pulleys. 

The road passes next through the Kohala dis- 
trict, in which the town of that name is of in- 
terest as the birthplace of Kamehameha the 
Great. The Kohala ditch, twenty-five miles 
long, brings water from the mountains to the 
sugar plantations, fifteen miles of the way 
through tunnels. One may leave the main road 
here and take a horseback ride along this ditch, 



In and Out 115 



from which one can enjoy the magnificent 
scenery of the Waipio and Waimanu valleys, 
enormous "gulches," separated by sheer preci- 
pices hundreds of feet in height. 

The trip to Kauai, the l ' Garden Island, ' ' from 
Honolulu, requires but a single night, but is a 
rough passage. At Waimea Captain Cook 
made his first landing on the Islands. Here, 
too, is the ruined fort built by a Eussian trader, 
and over which the Eussian flag was raised. 

The trip through the Waimea Gulch, which is 
called a miniature Grand Canyon of the Colo- 
rado, rewards the traveler with magnificent 
scenery. At the deepest part the cliffs are 
3,000 feet high and the valley is a mile in width. 
It is said that "in the decomposing rocks the 
colours are as vivid as though volcanic fires 
were still at work." 

On the shore, at the extreme western point of 
the island, are the Barking Sands, a row of 
sand dunes. "The wind on the sands makes 
them rustle like silk; to slide down them pro- 
duces a sound like thunder; to stamp on them 
makes them cry out in different cadences." 
Not far away is an old bathing beach, where a 
bath was supposed to bring good luck. 

At Hanalei Eiver is one of the most ancient of 
the deep-water fish ponds. According to an old 



116 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

tradition, this was built in a single night by 
Menehunes, a mythical race of dwarfs, who 
were noted for their industry and mechanical 
skill and their feats of engineering. 

Everywhere one is struck by the preponder- 
ance of Japanese among the inhabitants. Since 
this great war broke out, Japan has taken from 
Germany the Ladrone Islands, just north of 
Guam, on the way to the Philippines. She has 
also taken the Marshall Islands, which bring her 
outposts fifteen hundred miles nearer to the 
Pacific coast of America. If we are inclined to 
be a bit pessimistic over the future fate of Ha- 
waii, perhaps a piece of recent news from Nip- 
pon may encourage us. 

Japan has just passed a law permitting Japa- 
nese to become American citizens, As nearly 
half the present inhabitants of the Islands are 
Japanese and 4,000 Japanese children are born 
there in a year, this is an interesting considera- 
tion when difficulties between Japan and Amer- 
ica are talked of. The Japanese-American 
Citizens' Association was organized by a few 
Japanese who are citizens by right of birth, and 
has grown to a membership of more than fif- 
teen hundred. It takes an interest in municipal 
affairs, discusses the questions of the day, and 
teaches young Hawaiian-born Japanese the 



In and Out 117 



principles and duties of good citizenship. Rev. 
S. Sokabe, of Honolulu, gives its members the 
following advice: 

" Hawaiian-born Japanese have a great mis- 
sion to-day. The Japanese of Hawaii must be- 
come the pacificators should trouble come be- 
tween Japan and America. . . . You owe it to 
yourselves to do this. Learn to be good Ameri- 
can citizens, and then you will be able to help in 
case of trouble. You can do more to keep peace 
than ambassadors and ministers. ... If trou- 
ble should come with Japan, you must remember 
that you are the sons of the President, not the 
sons of the Emperor.' ' 

Under the old Japanese law Japanese born 
in Hawaii were still subjects of Japan. Under 
the law lately enacted by the Diet and House of 
Peers of Japan, which went into effect June 1, 
1916, all Japanese born in a foreign country 
have the right at the age of fifteen to decide 
whether they will become subjects of Japan or 
of the country of their birth; they must, how- 
ever, first get the consent of their parents before 
giving up their citizenship in Japan. 

Patriotic Americans should no longer think 
of Hawaii as she was eighteen years ago at 
the time of annexation. Then the Japanese 
labourer on the sugar plantations was an alien 



118 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

and un-American. Now lie is a factor and his 
children a greater factor in the American civil- 
ization of the Pacific! 

Moreover, to show how American and 
patriotic most of the islanders are, I give an 
account of the celebration of Washington's 
Birthday, when a splendid parade took place. 
It included the military and naval forces of the 
Islands, as well as Hawaiians, Chinese and 
Japanese — all helping to make it a success. 

The native police led the procession on horse- 
back. In quick succession the troops of the 
cavalry rode by, saluting the Governor as they 
passed the reviewing stand. The First Field 
Artillery followed, with their guns. Then the 
" Dough Boys" — as the infantry men are called 
— companies from the Second and the Twentieth 
United States Infantry; after these came the 
bluejackets from the four United States war- 
ships lying in the harbour, with their field 
pieces, each manned by a gun crew; then the 
marines and the Eed Cross brigade. The 
cadets of the school for young Hawaiians and 
the National Guard of Hawaii presented a fine 
military appearance. 

One of King Kalakaua's descendants, Prince 
Kuhio, and his brother's son, little Prince Kala- 
kaua, were among the leaders ; also the so-called 



In and Out 119 



Island Princesses, all on horseback. They were 
chosen to represent the five large islands, and 
had escorts of young girls on horseback dressed 
in the pau, followed by some lively cowboys on 
ponies. 

Then came the floats, from which confetti were 
thrown. One float represented an elaborate 
tableau of a battle between the new Chinese re- 
public and the old Manchu dynasty. Some took 
the part of the new army with their modern uni- 
forms, and others in the old costumes lay very 
realistically dead behind their guns. 

As evening came on the Japanese people 
began to assemble in the park down in the 
Oriental quarter, and from there marched to the 
palace grounds, then past the four American 
battleships at the docks, where they gave their 
banzai for the sailors, and were given in return 
a hearty American ' * three cheers, ' ' showing the 
good feeling between the two countries. 

In view of the strategic value of the Islands, 
which, for more than fifty years, American 
naval officers have endeavoured to impress upon 
our Government, it is pleasant to learn of the 
loyalty and whole-hearted Americanism of the 
people of Hawaii. If Oahu, Guam and the 
Panama Canal are well fortified and sufficient 
numbers of troops and warships are stationed 



120 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

at these posts they will protect our Pacific coast 
better than any number of harbour defenses. 

And now, with the banzai of these newest 
Americans ringing in our ears, we must say our 
"Aloha" to these dream Islands, almost too 
perfect to be real. We say farewell, but the 
Spell of Hawaii will always be upon us. 



r 



THE PHILIPPINES 




THE PHILIPPINES 

CHAPTER I 

MANILA AS WE FOUND IT 

IGH on the bridge of the Pacific Mail 
Steamer Siberia we stood as we passed 
through the Boca Chica — the narrow 
channel — into the historic waters of Manila 
Bay. On one side was the mountainous island 
of Corregidor, rising steeply out of the sea and 
masking in its tropic growth many batteries and 
guns, on the other was the splendid mountain, 
Mariveles, and in the distance fine ranges rising 
from the sparkling ocean. Far away on the 
horizon, across the huge bay, lay Manila, the 
capital of the Philippine Islands. 

Three weeks before we had left Hawaii, two 
days later we had steamed by Midway Island. 
Then we passed a few days in Japan, and 
coasted along the superb island of Formosa, 
rightly named "the beautiful" — where great 
mountains dipped down into the still sea — and 
now we were entering the Philippines, the real 
objective point of the official party — there were 
eight of us — in which we were so fortunate as to 

123 



124 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

be included. We were at last going to see the 
interesting results of Spanish rule for three 
centuries, upon which were being grafted all the 
energy and scientific and social knowledge of the 
twentieth-century American. 

Although both Hawaii and the Philippines are 
under American rule, they are like different 
worlds. The Land of the Palm and Pine is a 
much bigger problem for the United States than 
Hawaii. The latter is nearer home, a smaller 
group of islands, and is quite Americanized. It 
is the commercial hub of the Pacific, an impor-. 
tant coaling station, an outlying protection for 
the California coast. The natives are of Poly- 
nesian extraction and American education; 
they are quite unlike the Filipinos in character, 
who are Malaysian and have had centuries of 
Spanish influence. The Filipinos clamour for 
independence, the Moros and the wild tribes 
must be carefully handled, while the Hawaiian 
is contented with his lot. Besides the necessity 
of maintaining an army in the Philippines so 
far from home, one hundred and one other dif- 
ficulties are to be considered. With these facts 
in mind, we looked forward to interesting ex- 
periences in the Islands, and we were not dis- 
appointed. 

As we approached Manila, some small scout 



V 


^jgE 




1 ' ' Q*?W- 








■^Ll^B 







GOVERNOR GENERAL CAMERON" FORBES. 



Manila as We Found It 125 

boate, all flag bedecked, came out and joined 
us, and fell in behind in procession, then larger 
boats, one bringing the excellent Constabulary 
Band, which played gaily. Another, which had 
officials on board, exchanged greetings with us 
across the water, and others with unofficial peo- 
ple added their welcome. Quarantine was made 
easy, and all difficulties with customs officials 
were spared us. When we reached the dock it 
was massed with the people who had landed 
from the boats and with crowds from the town. 

At once Governor General Cameron Forbes 
came on board to greet the Secretary of War, 
and then followed a reception, the guests rang- 
ing from the apostolic delegate in his robes, 
the consular officials and insular officers, and 
the army and navy in spotless gold-braided uni- 
forms, to the leading citizens, very intelligent 
looking and well mannered, and members of the 
Assembly. The dock was lined with troops, 
who paid the military honours. 

After the reception on shipboard the Secre- 
tary and Mrs. Dickinson and the official mem- 
bers of the party were whirled off in autos, with 
a squadron of cavalry clattering along as escort. 
Another motor was waiting for us, and we soon 
joined the procession as it moved to the palace. 

We were much interested in the sights in the 



126 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

streets. There were numbers of carromatos, 
little covered two-wheeled carriages, drawn by 
stocky Filipino ponies. The streets in this part 
of the town are wide, and the houses have over- 
hanging balconies, in Spanish style. In honour 
of the Secretary, the buildings were draped 
with flags. Near the wharf the land had lately 
been filled in, and great docks were in construc- 
tion. There was a new boulevard near the old 
Luneta, and an avenue named after President 
Taft, besides a big hotel and a hospital that had 
then just been finished. The harbour was filled 
with vessels, electric cars were running, and 
autos were to be seen, so at first it all looked 
quite up to date, until you met a carabao slowly 
swaying down the street, hitched to a two- 
wheeled cart, with a brown boy in red trousers, 
pina shirt and a big straw hat sitting on his 
back — " carry boy," as Secretary Dickinson 
named the animal. The " carry boys" do not 
like white people, and sometimes charge them, 
stamping and goring them with their horns, but 
a small Filipino boy seems to have perfect con- 
trol of them, and if they are allowed occa- 
sionally to wade in a puddle, which cools them 
off, they do not "go loco/' or crazy. 

It was in the palace of Malacanan, or Govern- 
ment House, as it is sometimes called, that Sec- 



Manila as We Found It 127 

retary and Mrs. Dickinson and ourselves stayed 
with the Governor General. This is a large, 
rambling structure in a garden by the Pasig 
River. Under the porte-cochere we entered a 
stone hall, off which were offices, then went up a 
long flight of stairs to a big hall looking into a 
court. This hall was hung with oil paintings of 
Spanish governors., quite well done by native 
artists, and in the center stood a huge one-piece 
table of superb nara wood, covered with gleam- 
ing head-axes and spears, bolos, krisses, cam- 
pilans, and lantankas, used by the wild tribes 
and Moros. 

Our rooms were large and empty, as was the 
entire palace — indeed, so are all the houses on 
account of the heat. The polished floors, too, 
are made of huge planks, sometimes of such 
valuable tropical woods as rosewood and ma- 
hogany, and are left bare. It took a little time 
to accustom ourselves to the hard beds with rat- 
tan bottoms, covered only by two sheets. They 
were carved and four-posted, and draped with 
mosquito netting. Two little brown lizards 
squeaked at us in a friendly manner, and crept 
down the walls, out of curiosity, no doubt, little 
ants kept busily crawling across the room in a 
line, and the mosquitoes that hid in my clothes 
in the rack during the daytime buzzed about at 



128 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

night. The heat was great, notwithstanding 
the electric fan, but the sliding screens that 
formed the sides of the room gave ns some re- 
lief. These shutters are like Japanese shon> 
made of small panes of an opalescent shell to 
soften the intensity of tropic sunlight, with 
green slit bamboo shades pulled halfway down. 

When I used to write or read I sat on my 
rattan bed under the mosquito netting; there I 
could look out of the parted sides of the house 
to the red hibiscus border of the garden stretch- 
ing along the narrow Pasig. Boatmen, in coni- 
cal straw hats, perched at the ends of their 
bancas, paddled the hollo wed-out logs rapidly 
through the water, or floated idly by, smoking 
their cigarettes ; these boats were loaded to the 
gunwale with green grasses, and had canopies 
of matted straw. Launches, too, came chug- 
ging past, towing the big high poops covered 
with straw-screened cascos. Over beyond the 
river was a flat all in a green tangle, with the 
thatched nipa houses on their stilts. For the 
palace stands outside the more thickly settled 
parts of the city, which in turn surround the 
walled town. 

Manila to-day is a curious mixture of native 
nipa shacks and old Spanish churches and forts 
with the up-to-date American buildings and im- 



Manila as We Found It 129 

provements. There are the different quarters, 
as in all cities of the Orient — Chinese, native and 
so on — and each has its own distinctive sights. 
The street smells, which are never lacking in 
a city, reminded us of India. 

The walled city has picturesque gates break- 
ing through the old gray battlements — the mas- 
sive wall was begun in 1590 — and ancient sentry 
houses at the corners, while behind rise the 
white balconies of old convents and monasteries, 
and buildings now used for government pur- 
poses, and towers of churches. The old moats 
have been filled up for sanitary reasons and are 
being made into wide sweeps of lawn and flower 
gardens, and the famous Malecon, the drive be- 
neath the city walls, which was once upon the 
sea front, has been removed too far inland 
by the filling of the harbour to retain its old 
charm. 

11 Intramuros ' ' (within the walls) more than 
half the land belongs to the Church, and church 
buildings abound. These are really inferior, 
compared with those we saw in Mexico, but some 
of them are very old. The Augustinian Church, 
finished in 1605, has enormously thick walls and 
a stone crypt of marvelous strength. 

In the center of the town is Plaza McKinley, 
but the main business street is the narrow 



130 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

Escolta, made to look still narrower by the over- 
hanging second stories of the buildings. 

We visited the botanical gardens, a shaded 
park with winding paths beneath acacias and 
mango trees. We drove, too, through the nar- 
row streets of the suburb of San Miguel, where 
we looked into tangled gardens of tropical 
plants, behind which were houses with broad 
verandas and wide-opening sides, covered by a 
wonderful screen of a sort of mauve morning 
glory, which blooms, however, all day long. 
/ The native houses are built of bamboo with 
braided grass walls and thatched roofs, and are 
raised on stilts because of the rainy season. 
We went to order some embroidery one day of 
a Tagalog woman. Climbing a ladder into a 
small house, we saw the whole family sitting on 
the floor, working over a long frame. In some 
of these shacks they have a small room for 
visitors, with chairs and a table, and cheap 
prints of the Virgin on the walls. Under the 
house are kept usually a pig and a pony. One 
woman was very successful — she not only had 
waist patterns to show and to sell, but had a 
standing order from Marshall Field, in Chicago. 
We also visited a still more prosperous em- 
broidery house, built of stucco, with a court- 
yard. These people were Spanish mestizos. 



Manila as We Found It 131 

A visit to the cigarette factory to which we 
were taken by Mr. Legarda showed us one of 
the characteristic industries of the city and gave 
us an idea of the deftness and quickness of 
those who are employed in this work. The lit- 
tle women who pack the cigarettes can pick up 
a number of them and tell in a twinkle by the 
feeling just how many they hold, and the cigar 
wrappers work with greatest rapidity and sure- 
ness and make a perfect product. It was all 
very clean and fresh, with hundreds of em- 
ployees in the large, airy rooms. A band 
played as we went through the building, and we 
had a generous luncheon and received innumer- 
able presents from the managers. 

Opportunity was given us for sundry little 
exploring trips into the suburbs of Manila. 1 
We rode on horseback, in company with Secre- 
tary Dickinson, Governor Forbes and General 
Edwards, among little native shacks, through 
overgrown lanes beyond the city, and along the 
beach, where we saw fishermen's huts and men 
mending their nets, to the Polo Club. The 

i A trip to the Lake of Bay should be taken and to the 
fertile valley of the Cagayan. The gorge of Pagsanjan is 
very beautiful. Los Banos is an old bathing establishment 
not far from Kalamba, where Rizal was born. It is part of 
a day's trip from Manila to this hot mineral spring, which 
was a fashionable resort in days gone by. Now an American 
military hospital has been built there. 



132 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

Governor, who was most generous in giving 
money of his own to benefit the Islands, not only 
built the clubhouse and laid out the field at his 
own expense, but even imported Arabian horses 
and good Western ponies. This club is a fine 
thing to keep army officers in good condition and 
give them exercise and amusement, as well as to 
bring good horses into the Islands. The club- 
house, of plaited grasses, bamboo and wood, is 
on the edge of the beach, from which one can 
see the beautiful sunsets across the bay and 
catch the faint line of the mountains in the dis- 
tance. It all seemed very far-away and tropical 
and enchanting. 

The English-speaking residents of Manila 
have various other clubs, among which the 
Army and Navy, the English, and-the University 
are perhaps the most important. The Officers' 
Club, at Fort McKinley (seven miles from 
Manila) has a superb situation, commanding a 
fine view of the mountains. 

As we landed in Manila early Sunday morn- 
ing, we were in time for service in the Episcopal 
cathedral, which had just been" built. This is 
a handsome building in the Spanish style, large 
and airy, with an effective altar. It was erected 
by an American friend of Bishop Brent, the 
Episcopal bishop, who has done fine work in the 



Manila as We Found It 133 

Islands. According to a story that is related of 
this good man, he made a journey at one time 
into the interior of Luzon, where he found the 
natives sadly in need of instruction in ways of 
personal cleanliness. As soon as he reached the 
mail service again, he wrote to America for a 
ton of soap, which was duly shipped to him and 
used for the purification of the aborigines. 

I was glad to visit also Bishop Brent's orphan 
school, consisting principally of American-mes- 
tizo children. The native women, when de- 
serted by their white lovers, generally marry 
natives, who often ill-treat these half-white 
children, and sometimes sell them as slaves. 
Miss Sibley, of Detroit, was in charge of this 
school, which was in a big, comfortable house 
near the native shacks on the edge of the town, 
and had twelve pupils at that time. 

A convent of Spanish nuns on a small island 
in the river, interested me greatly. It was then 
under the supervision of the government, for it 
was at that time not only a convent but also a 
poorhouse, a school for orphans, an asylum for 
insane men and women, and a reformatory for 
bad boys. The embroidery done at the convent 
was better than that made by the natives in 
their houses, as the thread used was finer. The 
nuns charged more than the natives, but they 



134 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

would also cut and sew, thus finishing the gar- 
ments. Articles embroidered by native women 
were never made up by them, but had to be 
taken to a Chinese tailor. 

The linen must first be bought, however, so I 
tried to do a little shopping in the city, but 
found it very unsatisfactory. The shops are 
poor, and, as one traveler has said, you can get 
nothing you want in them, but plenty of things 
you don't want, for which you can pay a very 
high price. 

One day I was taken to a cockpit, where 
a cockfight was to come off. This is one of 
the characteristic amusements of the Filipinos, 
which they have engaged in since the year 1500. 
It is so popular that it would be difficult to 
put a stop to it all at once, but it has been re- 
stricted by the government to Sundays and 
legal holidays, which is something of a victory. 
(They are also passionately fond of horse rac- 
ing, in regard to which other restrictions have 
been made.) Outside, beggars, old and blind, 
were crawling over the ground ; natives strolled 
around, petting their birds, which they carried 
under their arms ; and vendors with dirty trays 
of sweetmeats wandered about. We bought our 
tickets and passed into the rickety amphi- 
theater. 



Manila as We Pound It 135 

Cocks were crowing, and such a howling as 
went on, the audience all looking toward us as 
we entered. It seemed as if they were angry 
with us for stepping into the arena, and yet 
there was no other way to reach the seats. Our 
guides pointed to a shaky ladder that led into 
a gallery, but we preferred to sit far back in 
the chairs about the. pit. There were natives, 
Chinese, and mestizos present. We soon dis- 
covered that they were not angry with us, but 
we had entered at a moment when the betting 
was going on, and the cocks in the ring were so 
popular that there was great excitement. 

Each cock was allowed to peck the neck of 
the other and get a taste of blood, while they 
were still held under their owners ' arms. The 
fighting cocks did not look quite like ours. 
They were armed for the fray with sharp 
"slashers" attached to their spurs. When the 
betting had subsided the cocks were left to them- 
selves in the ring, and they generally went for 
each other at once. What a hopping and scut- 
tling! Feathers flew, the crowd cheered, and 
the cocks went at each other again and again 
until they were hurt or killed. The referee 
then decided upon the victor. Sometimes the 
cocks did not seem to interest the crowd, and 
then their owners would take them out of the 



136 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

ring before fighting ; at times the cocks refused 
to fight. It was not so exciting as I had ex- 
pected, and when we considered that the birds 
were to be eaten anyway, it did not seem so 
cruel and terrible as I thought it would. 

Speaking of cocks being eaten, the principal 
foods of the Filipinos are fowls and eggs, as 
well as rice, fish and carabao meat, but as the 
" carry-boys ' ' are good workers they are not 
often eaten. Pigs are kept by the Filipinos, 
and are put on a raised platform for about six 
weeks before killing, so as to keep them clean 
and fatten them with good food. Salads, craw- 
fish and trout, as well as cocoanut milk, red wine 
and wild coffee, are among the things they live 
on. Army people in the Islands often have, in 
addition, wild deer and wild boar which are shot 
by the American officers, besides excellent game 
birds, such as the minor bustard, jungle fowl, 
wild chicken, quail, snipe and duck. 

I was asked to receive with the Secretary and 
Mrs. Dickinson and General and Mrs. Edwards, 
at the Governor General's reception at Mala- 
canan, where we stood in line and shook hands 
with some seventeen hundred persons. It was a 
remarkable scene. The palace, which opens up 
handsomely, and the terrace overhanging the 
river, were outlined by a myriad electric lights, 




15 



Manila as We Found It 137 

while launches came and went with guests, and 
the Philippine Constabulary Band played in the 
interior court. The papal delegate was there 
in his canonicals, with his accompanying mon- 
signors, and barefooted friars in cowls. There 
were foreign consuls in their uniforms, and 
many Filipina women, with pretty manners and 
dainty ways, some in their native dress, which 
is so quaint and gaily coloured. Insurrecto 
generals came, too, who looked like young boys, 
and members of the high courts, very wise and 
dignified. 

After most of the guests had arrived, there 
was a rigodon of honour, in which all took part. 
The rigodon is the dance of the Filipinos, and of 
so much importance to them that it was con- 
sidered essential that the Secretary and his 
party should be able to join in it. Accordingly, 
we had all practised it on the ship before reach- 
ing Manila. It is said that ex-President Taft 
won much of his way into the hearts of these 
island people by his skill and evident delight 
in this dance, which is something like a graceful 
and dignified quadrille, with much movement 
and turning. 

To show that traveling in an official party is 
not "all play and no work," I may just note the 
program carried out by the men on the day fol- 



138 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

lowing this reception. Rising at six o 'clock and 
taking an early breakfast, they went on board 
the commanding general's yacht and cruised 
across Manila Bay to visit the new defenses on 
the island of Corregidor, which rises a sheer 
five hundred feet out of the water. For hours 
they moved from one place to another in the 
heat,- inspecting huge guns and mortars and 
barracks and storehouses, all hidden away so 
as not to be seen from the sea, although great 
gashes in the cliffs showed where the trolley 
roads and the inclined planes ran. It is really 
the key to our possessions in the Far East. 
Thousands of men were working like ants all 
over the place. It was two o'clock before the 
party reached the tip-top, where they had a 
stand-up luncheon at the quarters of the com- 
manding officer. Then they came back to the 
yacht, and fairly tumbled down just wherever 
they happened to be for a siesta. They were 
then taken to Cavite, ten miles away, which is 
one of the two naval stations. There they 
landed again and visited the picturesque old 
Spanish fortifications and the quarters. 

A baile, or ball, was given in honour of the 
Secretary by the Philippine Assembly, at their 
official building, where all the ladies of our 
party wore the Filipina dress. This is ordi- 




MHS. ANDERSON fN FILTPINA COSTUME 



Manila as We Found It 139 

narily made of pina cloth, a cheap, gauzy ma- 
terial, manufactured from pineapple fiber. The 
waist, called camisa, is made with winglike 
sleeves and a stiff kerchief -like collar, named 
panuela. The skirt may be of any material, 
quite often a handsome brocade, and among the 
Tagalogs a black silk open-work apron finishes 
the costume. The white suits and uniforms of 
the men and the bright-coloured dresses made 
this ball a gay and lively scene. The band 
played incessantly, and after the Secretary and 
Mrs. Dickinson had stopped receiving at the 
head of the stairs, there was a rigodon, which 
we all danced in as stately a manner as we 
could. But my most vivid recollection of the 
ball is of the heat and the pink lemonade, which 
poisoned a hundred people and made me deadly 
ill all that night. 

The Governor General gave a big dinner for 
the Secretary of War at the palace one evening, 
We assisted also at the opening of the new 
theater — which is called the finest in the Far 
East — at which Marshall Darrach gave recita- 
tions from Shakespeare. I must not forget the 
gala performance at the new theater, too, which 
was arranged by the society people of the city. 
All the performers were amateurs, so we rather 
dreaded the evening, which promised to be in- 



140 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

terminable, but everything was so good that the 
time passed quickly. The little ladies sang 
quite acceptably, and played the violin and the 
piano ; and a lot of tiny tots, children of the best 
people, gave an amusing vaudeville that really 
was exceedingly funny and was much ap- 
plauded. We could hardly believe that it was 
all amateur. 

/ The Government Dormitory for Girls, which 
we visited, I found most interesting. There 
were one hundred and fifty, eight sleeping in 
each room. These girls came from different 
provinces all over the Islands. As there are so 
many distinct dialects, some of them could 
understand one another only in English, and 
no other language is allowed to be spoken. One 
of the girls made a speech in English welcom- 
ing the Secretary and did it extremely well. 
Having learned, among other things, to cook, 
they gave us delicious tea and cakes and candies 
on a half-open veranda among the vines and 
Japanese lanterns. Some were taking the 
nurses' course, which seemed to be the most 
popular. These pretty girls danced for us in 
their stiff, bright-coloured costumes, swaying 
and waving their hands, and turning and twirl- 
ing in their languid but dignified manner. It 
appeared to be a mixture of a Spanish and a 



Manila as We Found It 141 

native dance, and was altogether quite charm- 
ing. 

A morning with Mr. Worcester at the Bureau 
of Science was most delightful. This bureau is 
so much more than a museum of scientific speci- 
mens that I cannot begin to do justice to it in a 
single paragraph. It was started at first as a 
Bureau of Government Laboratories in charge 
of the chemical and biological work of the gov- 
ernment, the departments of zoological and 
botanical research were subsequently added, 
and finally the Bureau of Ethnology and the 
Bureau of Mines were incorporated with it. 
Not only were all these departments coordinated 
under one head, preventing overlapping and 
securing economy and efficiency of administra- 
tion, but this work was correlated with that of 
the Philippine General Hospital and the Col- 
lege of Medicine and Surgery. "When this com- 
prehensive plan was formed all the scientific 
work of the government was carried on in "a 
hot little shack," and the scheme was commonly 
referred to as "Worcester's Dream,' ' but at 
the time of our visit the dream had come true. 
The departments were manned by thoroughly 
trained men from the States, and the Bureau of 
Science was one of the world's greatest scien- 
tific institutions. 



142 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

The Philippine Bureau of Science "is now 
dead." When the Democratic Administration 
took charge it was announced that all theoretical 
departments, such as ethnology, botany, orni- 
thology, photography and entomology ( !) were 
to be "reduced or eliminated. ' ' It was after- 
ward made plain that all work which was consid- 
ered practical would be continued, but the mis- 
chief had been done, the men who made the insti- 
tution had left, and under present conditions it 
is impossible to secure others who are equally 
competent in their place. Our only consolation 
is to be derived, as Mr. Worcester himself says, 
"from contemplating the fact that pendulums 
swing." 

Though so recently established, the museum 
contained in 1910 a wonderful exhibit of the 
plants and animals of the Islands. We took a 
peep into the butterfly room, where we admired 
some rare and lovely ones with a feathery 
velvet sheen the colour of the sea. We saw also 
the huge brown Atlas moth touched with coral, 
like a cashmere shawl, with eyes of mother-of- 
pearl on his wings. We noticed that the fe- 
males were larger than the males, and even 
those of the same variety often differed greatly 
in colour. In one case a female was big, and 



Manila as We Found It 143 

brown and violet in colour, while her mate was 
small, and blue and yellow. 

In the next room were beetles, some of which 
were like the matrix of turquoise, and others 
had shimmering, changeable shades of green 
and bronze. There were beetles like small tur- 
tles, and long, horned beetles like miniature 
carabaos. 

Afterward we visited the birds. Bright- 
coloured sun birds, with long beaks, which feed 
on the honey of flowers ; clever tailor birds, small 
and brown, with green heads and gray breasts, 
which sew leaves together with vegetable fiber 
to make their nests; birds of whose nests the 
Chinese make their famous soup, and the blue 
kingfishers, of whose brilliant feathers these 
same Chinese make jewelry; fire-breasted birds, 
too, and five-coloured birds. There were birds 
that build their nest four feet or more under 
the ground, and hornbills, that wall up their 
wives in holes in the trees while they are hatch- 
ing their eggs, the males bringing them food and 
dropping it through a small opening. There, 
too, I saw the fairy bluebird. 

Near by, we visited an orchid garden, and 
passed under gates and bamboo trellises drip- 
ping with every kind of orchid. The Philip- 



144 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

pines are the paradise of these remarkable 
plants, and many are the adventures that col- 
lectors of them have had in the interior of these 
Islands. 

Then we passed into the Jesuit chapel and 
museum. We were greeted at the door by sev- 
eral black-robed priests, who smiled and bowed 
and talked all at once. They escorted us first 
to the museum, where there were cases of shells 
— heart-shaped shells, trumpet shells, scalloped 
shells big enough for a bathtub — all kinds of 
shells, and the paper nautilus, which is not a 
shell but an egg case. Then there were land 
shells, polished red and green, Venus ' flower 
baskets, exquisite glass sponges, corals of all 
kinds — fine branches of the red and the white — 
and an enormous turtle that weighed fifteen hun- 
dred pounds. 

In the cases at the side of the room were ani- 
mals of the country — flying monkeys, with suck- 
ing pads on their toes to help them climb the 
trees, big, furry bats and flying lizards. A tiny 
buffalo, which was discovered only a few years 
ago up in the hills, and a small spotted deer 
were in the collection. A big monkey-catching 
eagle, white and brown, was here, and the paro- 
quet that carries leaves for her nest in her red 
tail, as well as a pigeon with ruffs of green and 



Manila as We Found It 145 

blue about her neck, and a bald crown, which 
was caused, the natives say, by flying so high 
that her head hit the sky. 

Numerous entertainments and receptions were 
crowded into that too short visit to Manila. 
July 25th had been declared a national holiday. 
A musical program was given in honour of the 
Secretary by five thousand Manila school chil- 
dren. One afternoon Mrs. Dickinson received 
some of the Filipina ladies, who sang and played 
on the piano quite well. 

Another day the officers and ladies at Fort 
McKinley entertained the party at luncheon at 
the Officers' Club. Before luncheon there was 
a military review in which the troops from all 
over the islands participated, followed by some 
good shell firing out in the chaparral, as under 
war conditions, and a display of wireless w T ork. 
A special drill was given by Captain Tom An- 
derson — the son of General Anderson — whose 
company was one of the best drilled in the army, 
and went through the manual and marching with 
only one order given, counting to themselves in 
silence the whole seventeen hundred counts, all 
in perfect unison. 1 

i The American coloured troops in the Philippines certainly 
deserve mention. They were among the best fighters we sent 
out there. 



146 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

In the Secretary of War's speech that after- 
noon he took occasion to say, "General Duvall, 
you have not said too much in favour of the 
Army. You have not overdrawn the picture, 
for a steadier moving column or brighter eyed 
men and a more soldierly set of men I have 
never seen anywhere.' ' 

The reception by General and Mrs. Duvall 
was a brilliant affair, chiefly of the army and 
navy. The handsome house with its wide ve- 
randas stood in a garden overlooking Manila 
Bay. 

On the Luneta there was, one evening, the 
largest gathering that had assembled on that 
historic plaza since the days of the " Empire,' ' 
for the Secretary of War was expected to be 
there. The people hoped that he brought with 
him a proclamation of immediate independence 
to be announced at that time. The Luneta had 
once been at the edge of the water, but a great 
space had been filled in beyond it, and buildings 
were going up — a large hotel, which would 
make all the difference in the world to tourist 
travel in the Philippines, and a huge Army and 
Navy Club — so that it was planned to remove 
the Luneta farther out some day, again to the 
water's edge. On this particular evening, the 
oval park was crowded with picturesque people, 



Manila as We Found It 147 

almost all the men in white, the soldiers in their 
trig khaki, and the women in their gaily coloured 
dresses and panuelas. Eows of carriages cir- 
cled round and round, as the two bands played 
alternately. After a time we left our automo- 
biles and walked in the throng. A magnificent 
sunset was followed by the gorgeous tints of 
the afterglow, and dusk came on and evening 
fell while we watched and were watched. Soon 
a thousand electric lights, that were carried in 
rows around the plaza and over the kiosks of the 
bands, sparkled out in the darkness. The 
beauty of the scene, the animation of the crowd, 
driving or walking in groups, and the refresh- 
ing coolness after the heat of the day, made this 
a lasting memory. 




CHAPTER II 

THE PHILIPPINES OF THE PAST 

OW have the Philippines come to present 
such a unique combination of Spanish 
and Malay civilization? Let us look into 
their past. We find for the early days myths 
and legends, preserved by oral tradition. Two 
quaint stories told by the primitive mountain 
people, which show how they believe the Islands 
first came into being and how the first man and 
woman entered into this world, are worth trans- 
cribing for their naive simplicity : 

"A long time ago there was no land. There 
were only the sea and the sky. A bird was 
flying in the sky. It grew tired flying. It 
wanted something to rest upon. The bird was 
very cunning. It set the sea and sky to quarrel- 
ing. The sea threw water up at the sky. The 
sky turned very dark and angry. Then the 
angry sky showered down upon the sea all the 
Islands. That is how the Islands came. ' ' 
This second tale is even more childlike : 
" A great bamboo grew on one of the Islands. 

148 



The Philippines of the Past 149 

It was very large around, larger than any of the 
others. The bird lit on the ground and began 
to peck the bamboo. A voice inside said, 'Peck 
harder, peck harder. ' The bird was frightened 
at first, but it wanted to know what was inside. 
So it pecked and pecked. Still the voice said, 
'Peck harder, peck harder.' At last a great 
crack split the bamboo from the bottom to the 
top. Out stepped a man and a woman. The 
bird was so frightened that it flew away. The 
man bowed very low to the woman, for they had 
lived in different joints of the bamboo and had 
never seen each other before. They were the 
first man and woman in the world. ' ' 

These natives believe there are good and evil 
spirits, and they invoke the agency of the latter 
to explain the mystery of death. They say the 
first death occurred when the evil spirit light- 
ning became angry with man and hurled a dan- 
gerous bolt to earth. 

The first suggestion of real history is found 
in the traditions that tell of Malays from the 
south who came and settled on these islands. 
It is said a race of small black people were 
already here — the Negritos — who resembled the 
African negroes, and who retired into the hills 
before the invaders. 

Next we hear of a Mohammedan priest who 



150 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

came to the southern Philippines and gave the 
people his religion. His followers have to this 
day been called Moros. 

It was more than two centuries before Cap- 
tain Cook visited Hawaii, that white men dis- 
covered the Philippines. Magellan, the famous 
Portuguese navigator, while sailing in the serv- 
ice of Spain, landed on Mindanao and Cebu, and 
took possession of the group in the name of the 
Spanish king. Before starting from Seville on 
this voyage around the world, Magellan had al- 
ready spent seven years in India and sailed as 
far as Sumatra, so he already knew this part of 
the world. This time he was in search of the 
Spice Islands and of a passage from the At- 
lantic to the Pacific Ocean. He had touched 
first at Teneriffe and then crossed the Atlantic 
to Brazil, making his way along the coast of 
South America. There were many hardships 
and difficulties to contend with, and mutiny in 
the fleet resulted in several deaths. But, as we 
all know, he persevered, and on the 15th of Oc- 
tober, 1520, discovered the straits which were 
named after him. 

The Ladrones were reached after fourteen 
tedious weeks, and on St. Lazarus' day, in 1521, 
the Philippines were sighted and named by him 
for the saint. In the early times they were 



The Philippines of the Past 151 

sometimes referred to by the Spaniards as the 
Eastern, and later as the Western, Islands. 
They were finally named the Philippines by Kuy 
Lopez de Villalobos, after his king, Philip the 
Second. 

Magellan was quite unlike Captain Cook, 
whose visit to Hawaii has been mentioned. He 
was a nobleman and full of the religious en- 
thusiasm that fired the Spaniards of his day. 
He was accompanied by several friars, who a} 
once began missionary work among the natives, 
and only a week after his arrival the Cebuan 
chief and his warriors were baptized into the 
Christian faith. Unfortunately, Magellan took 
sides with the Cebuans in their warfare against 
a neighbouring tribe, and in the battle he was 
killed. After his death, the same chieftain 
turned on Magellan's followers, but some 
escaped to their ships. Out of two hundred and 
fifty men who had set sail three years before, 
only eighteen, after suffering incredible hard- 
ships on the long journey by way of India and 
the Cape of Good Hope, returned safely to 
Spain. 

The next explorer who touched at the Islands 
was the Englishman, Sir Francis Drake, of 
Spanish Armada fame, who sailed in 1570 on a 
voyage round the world. We also hear of an- 



152 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

other Briton, William Dampier, a noted free- 
booter, who, in 1685, tried to cross the Isthmus 
of Panama with Captain Sharp. Three times 
he sailed round the world, and touched at the 
northern as well as the southern Philippine 
Islands. 

Magellan, Drake and Dampier gave the west- 
ern world much knowledge of the Far East, but 
did not remain long enough in the Islands to 
have any great or lasting influence over the 
natives. The work of civilizing them was left 
to Legaspi and the Spanish friars, who were 
the first real settlers. 

In 1565, the Philippines were occupied by an 
expedition under Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, 
alcalde of the City of Mexico, who was charged 
to open a new route to Java and the Southern 
Islands. On his return voyage he was to ex- 
amine the ports of the Philippines, and, if ex- 
pedient, to found a colony there. In any case 
he was to establish trade with the Islands. The 
viceroy of Mexico charged him that the friars 
with the expedition were to be treated with the 
utmost consideration, i ' since you are aware that 
the chief thing sought after by His Majesty is 
the increase of our holy Catholic faith and the 
salvation of the souls of those infidels." 

Cebu was occupied, and Manila was taken and 



The Philippines of the Past 153 

made the seat of government. The occupation 
of the Islands was not exactly by force of arms, 
for there was no fighting, although they found 
the islands well populated and the people more 
or less armed. The natives seemed to recog- 
nize and submit to a better government and re- 
ligion than they had ever known. The reports 
of the Spaniards of the time speak of the suc- 
cess of small expeditions of perhaps a hundred 
men, who took over whole provinces. These 
soldiers were accompanied by Spanish priests, 
who settled among the people, preaching Chris- 
tianity in the native tongues. The friars per- 
suaded them to give up their continual feuds 
and submit to the central authority which the 
friars represented. 

Legaspi brought with him from Mexico four 
hundred Spanish soldiers. Later eight hun- 
dred more arrived, and civilian Spaniards, both 
married and single, sailed to the Islands as set- 
tlers. In 1591, according to the records of 
Spanish grants, there were 667,612 natives 
under Spanish rule, and twenty-seven officials 
to enforce the laws and preserve order. It was 
reported that in a majority of the grants there 
was peace, justice and religious instruction. 
There were Augustinian, Dominican and Fran- 
ciscan friars as well as secular clergy. These 



154 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

men were not only priests bnt also fighters 
and organizers, and did fine work for many 
years, until long-continued possession of power 
gradually made the orders corrupt and grasp- 
ing. 

Upon their first arrival, the Spaniards found 
the people established in small villages, or 
barangays, Where the chief lived surrounded 
by his slaves and followers. It was considered 
wise to continue this system, ruling the villages 
through the local chieftain, whom the Spaniards 
called cabeza de barangay. Churches were 
erected, convent houses were built about them, 
and the natives were urged to gather near by. 
It was ordered that ' ' elementary schools should 
be established, in which the Indians will be 
taught not only Christian doctrine and reading 
and writing but also arts and trades, so that 
they may become not only good Christians but 
also useful citizens.' ' 

So at the end of the sixteenth century the 
Philippines were at peace. The natives were 
allowed to move from one town to another, but 
they were required to obtain permission, in 
order to prevent them from wandering about 
without religious instruction. The tendency of 
the Malays is to separate into small groups, and 
they have never been dwellers in large towns. 




UNDER THE BELLS. 



The Philippines of the Past 155 

The Spanish priests, therefore, found a constant 
effort necessary to keep them concentrated 
about the churches " under the bells.' ' 

The fervour of religious reform which started 
in Germany was followed by an equal fervour 
within the Koman Catholic Church. The period 
of Julius II and Leo X was over ; the Council of 
Trent had met. Ignatius Loyola had seen his 
visions and sent forth his company, and Spain 
was full of priests eager to serve God with the 
same stern energy which the previous genera- 
tion had shown in the search for lands and gold 
and fabulous gems. No duty was so grave as 
that of conformity to the Church, no stigma so 
galling as that of heretic. To convert the 
heathen was an obligation binding upon all men. 
All Spanish colonies were missions ; the Philip- 
pines were always rather a mission than a 
colony. 

Until the revolt of 1896, Spain never found it 
necessary to hold the Islands by armed force; 
her dominion there was based rather on her 
conquest of the minds and souls of men. There 
had been a few uprisings, however, and early in 
the eighteenth century a Spanish governor and 
his son were murdered by a mob. But notwith- 
standing occasional difficulties, in the main there 
was peace until the civil service of the Philip- 



156 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

pines was assimilated with that of Spain. Then 
officials became dependent upon their support- 
ers at home, and were changed with every 
change of the ministry. Some Spaniard writ- 
ing at the time said that with the opening of the 
Suez Canal Spanish office holders descended on 
the Islands like locusts. 

At the end of the nineteenth century, the 
Spanish army had grown to 17,859 of all ranks, 
only 3,005 of whom were Spaniards, and there 
was a constabulary of over 3,000 officers and 
men, who were almost entirely natives. The 
rule of Spain was secured by a native army. 
There could have been no widespread discon- 
tent, or that army would not have remained true 
to its allegiance, especially as its recruits were 
obtained by conscription. 

The chronicles remind us, however, that the 
Spaniards did not have things all their own way. 
In the early days, they were at first friendly 
with the Chinese, and Mexico carried on a flour- 
ishing trade with China by way of Manila until 
the pirate Li Ma Hong raided the Islands. The 
Spaniards were on good terms with the Japa- 
nese until the latter massacred the Jesuit friars 
in Japan. When the Shogun Iyeyasu expelled 
the priests he sent away even those who were 
caring for the lepers, and as a final insult, he 



The Philippines of the Past 157 

sent to Manila three junks loaded with lepers, 
with a letter to the governor general of the 
Philippines, in which he said that, as the Span- 
ish friars were so anxious to provide for the 
poor and needy, he sent him a cargo of men who 
were in truth sore afflicted. Only the ardent 
appeals of the friars saved these unfortunates 
and their contaminated vessels from being sunk 
in Manila Bay. Finally the governor yielded, 
and these poor creatures were landed and 
housed in the leper hospital of San Lazaro, 
which was then established for their reception 
and which remains to-day. 

The Spanish governors were also hampered 
by the lack of effective support from the older 
colony of Mexico, which was so much nearer 
than the home land that they naturally turned 
to it for aid. One of them wrote pathetically 
to the King of Spain : 

"And for the future . . . will your Majesty 
ordain that Mexico shall furnish what pertains 
to its part. For, if I ask for troops, they send 
me twenty men, who die before they arrive here, 
and none are born here. And if I ask for am- 
munition, they laugh at me and censure me, and 
say that I ask impossible things. They retain 
there the freight money and the duties ; and if 
they should send to this state what is yours, 



158 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

your Majesty would have to spend but little 
from your royal patrimony. ' ' 

The Portuguese were a source of anxiety to 
the colonists until Portugal fell into the hands 
of Spain. The Dutch, too, who were growing 
powerful in the Far East, even took Formosa, 
which brought them altogether too near, but 
they were driven out of that island by the great 
Chinese pirate Koxinga. 1 

From the time of Legaspi to the end of Span- 
ish rule there were occasional attacks upon the 
Chinese residing in the archipelago, who were 
never allowed to live in the Islands without ex- 
citing protest and dislike, based partly upon 
religious, partly upon commercial grounds. 
During the last one hundred years of Spanish 
supremacy, the greatest danger to their power 
w^as the presence of the Chinese. Efforts to 

i Koxinga was really one of the most noted characters of 
the Orient at that time. He was the son of a Japanese 
mother and a Chinese father, and seldom has China had a 
man to compare with him in courage, enterprise and ability 
At the age of twenty-two, he held one of the highest military 
commands in his country. With his courage and natural abil 
ity it was his purpose to carve out a kingdom for himself 
Being as shrewd as he was bold, Koxinga made the acquaint 
ance of a Dominican friar in Amoy, whom he converted into 
an ambassador and sent to Manila. Fortunately for the Span- 
iards, Koxinga's career was cut short by his early death, in 
1662, while still under forty years of age, and just as he was 
making preparations to invade the Philippines. 



The Philippines of the Past 159 

exclude them were never effective or long en- 
during, and yet it was felt that the men who 
came as labourers and traders were the advance 
guard of an innumerable host. In business the 
Malay has never been the equal of the shrewd 
Chinaman, and although the latter might be con- 
verted and take a Spanish name, yet it was al- 
ways gravely suspected that a search would find 
joss sticks smoldering in front of the tutelary 
deity of commerce hidden behind the image of 
the Virgin in his chapel. 

So the Chinaman, like the Jew in medieval 
Europe, carried on his trade in constant danger 
of robbery and murder. This antipathy did not, 
however, extend to Filipina women, many of 
whom married the foreigners. Among the 
leaders in the Filipino insurrection against the 
United States, Aguinaldo, two of his cabinet, 
nine of his generals, and many of his more im- 
portant financial agents were of Chinese de- 
scent. 

In 1762 the English swooped down upon Ma- 
nila, but they held the capital only two years, 
for, by the Treaty of Paris, the lands they had 
taken were returned to Spain. It is said the 
English conquest, brief as it was, brought good 
results to the Islands. 

Before going on to the struggle against the 



160 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

friars, I wish to quote from my father 's letters 
describing his experiences in the Philippines 
twenty years before American occupation. 

"At Sea, December 2, 1878. 

"Yesterday I left Manila, where I have been 
since the 6th of last month. . . . Our first days 
there were spent in firing salutes and exchang- 
ing visits, and going through all the forms 
which are customary when a government vessel 
comes into a foreign port. Admiral Patterson 
sent me here to settle a stabbing aff ray on board 
the American barque Masonic, and that took up 
my attention at first. In the evenings I went to 
the opera, and visited the sights of the city. 
On account of earthquakes, all the buildings are 
but one story high. The customs, fashions, etc., 
are Spanish. Every one was polite and I found 
it very pleasant ; but, as you might expect, after 
a little while I grew restless. I heard that there 
was some beautiful scenery in the interior, and 
I resolved to go on an investigating trip and see 
it. Our vice-consul, Mr. Yongs, and another 
gentleman went with me. 

"From Manila we went in a boat up a short 
river, which had its rise in a large lake, about 
twenty-five miles long, that we crossed in a 
steamer. I think I never saw such quantities 



The Philippines of the Past 161 

of two things as were on that lake — namely, 
ducks and mosquitoes. 

"From the lake we continued our journey in 
two-horse vehicles, like the volantes of Havana, 
and in these we went from village to village, on 
our way to the mountains. We were very well 
treated. The Spanish authorities at Manila 
provided us with whatever we required. The 
villages were clusters of thatched huts around a 
church, and the religion seemed to be a curious 
mixture of Eoman Catholic Christianity and pa- 
gan superstition, as I concluded from the style 
of the pictures with which the churches were 
adorned. These were chiefly representations 
of hell and its torments. Devils, with the tra- 
ditional tails and horns, and armed with pitch- 
forks, were turning over sinners in lakes of 
burning brimstone. . . . 

"We found the natives very musical; they 
sang and played on a variety of instruments, 
and they were rather handsome. The women 
had, without exception, the longest and most 
luxuriant hair I ever saw in all my travels. 
You know it is a rare thing among us for a 
woman to have hair that sweeps the ground, but 
here the exception is the other way; nearly ev- 
ery woman I saw had hair between five and six 
feet in length. 



162 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

"I was told that back among the mountains 
there existed tribes whom the Spaniards have 
never been able to conquer, and no one dares to 
venture among them, not even the priests. Our 
road was constantly ascending, and as we ad- 
vanced toward the interior the scenery became 
beautiful. Peaks of mountains rose all about 
us; plains and valleys stretched out, covered 
with tropical vegetation; picturesque villages, 
clustering around their churches, were visible 
here and there; and in the distance were 
glimpses of the sea, sparkling and bright in the 
sun. 

"I was told of a wonderful ravine among the 
mountains that was worth seeing and I decided 
to visit it, especially as it was a favourable time ; 
the river, by which it had to be approached, was 
then high, and its fifteen cascades, which 
usually had to be climbed past, dragging the 
canoe, were reduced to four. I took three na- 
tives with me, and we ascended successfully. I 
have called it a ravine, but a gorge would be a 
better term, for it is worn directly through the 
mountain by a large river, and the rock rises up 
on each side, as sheer and straight as if cut by 
machinery. 

6 ' After I had ascended a certain distance, I 
stopped for a time to examine all the wild mag- 



The Philippines of the Past 163 

nificence about me. The rocky wall on each side 
was so high that when I looked up I could see 
the stars shining in that bright noonday, as if it 
were night. Huge birds came flapping up the 
gorge far above my head ; and yet they were far 
below the top of the mountain of rock. I do 
not know how many feet it rose, but I never saw 
any precipice where the impression of height 
was so effectually given — it seemed immense. 

"Beneath us was the deep, broad stream, 
looking very dark in the twilight that such a 
shadow made, and I could not help feeling awe- 
struck. But the opening of the gorge framed 
as smiling and cheerful a landscape as could 
possibly be devised, to contrast with the inner 
gloom. It was a wide, varied and splendid view 
of the country beyond, sloping to the distant sea, 
and all of it as aglow with light and colour as 
sea and land could be, beneath a tropic sun. 

"Descending the river on our way out, I had 
a characteristic adventure, which will make me 
satisfied for a time. We had passed two of the 
rapids in safety, but as we approached the third, 
the canoe struck on a rock or something in the 
current, bow on, and swinging round, half filled 
with water. The natives in the end of the canoe 
nearest the rock sprang out and clung to the 
vines which hung over its sides, but the other 



164 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

man and I went over the fall in the half- 
swamped canoe, and were wholly at the mercy 
of the stream, with an unusually good prospect 
of getting a good deal more of it. 

"The fall once passed through, the current 
drove us toward the shore, if that is what you 
would call a precipice of rock, running straight 
down far below the surface of the water. I suc- 
ceeded in grasping the vines and pulling the 
canoe after me by my feet. The water was 
quite close by the rock, and the other two men, 
crawling down to us, hung on with me, and 
bailed out the boat till it was safely afloat, and 
then we went down the rest of the way without 
accident. ' ' 

Before the middle of the last century, life in 
the Philippines must have been, for Spaniards 
and natives alike, one long period of siesta. 
The sound of the wars and the passing of gov- 
ernments and kings in Europe must have seemed 
to these loiterers in a summer garden like the 
drone of distant bees. After that period condi- 
tions changed rapidly. In 1852, the Jesuits re- 
turned to the Philippines; in 1868, the reac- 
tionary Queen Isabella II fled from Spain, be- 
cause of the rise of republicanism; in 1869, the 
Suez Canal was opened. All these events had 



The Philippines of the Past 165 

their influence, but the return of the Jesuits was 
of dominating importance. 

Throughout the nineteenth century the sole 
idea of the Tagals was to get rid of the friars, 
and for several reasons, which I will explain as 
briefly as possible. The Eoman Catholic clergy 
are divided into regular and secular. Mem- 
bers of the secular clergy are subordinate to the 
bishops and archbishops, through whom the de- 
crees of the Holy See are promulgated. The 
regular clergy, monks and friars, are subordi- 
nate to provincials elected for comparatively 
short terms of office by members of their own 
order. The Jesuits form a group by themselves 
but belong rather to the regular than the secular. 

Over three hundred years after the conver- 
sion of the Filipinos, the Spanish monks and 
friars considered it still unsafe to admit natives 
into the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. The 
secular clergy were mostly natives, the regular 
clergy were Spaniards. Naturally this condi- 
tion of affairs in time produced friction. 

To understand the case in regard to the Jesu- 
its, it is necessary to go back nearly a century. 
In 1767, the King of Spain issued a decree ex- 
pelling the Jesuits from his possessions. Their 
property was confiscated, their schools were 
closed, and they were treated as enemies of the 



166 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

state. They had been among the earliest mis- 
sionaries in the Philippines, and were probably 
the wealthiest and most influential of all the 
clergy there. Their departure left no priests 
for the richest parishes in the provinces of 
Cavite and Manila, which had been their sphere 
of influence. The question at once arose as to 
who would succeed them, and as it happened, the 
Archbishop of Manila who had to answer it was 
a member of the secular clergy, a Spanish priest 
to be sure, but of liberal tendencies. Conse- 
quently, he filled the parishes with native 
priests, who continued to occupy them until the 
return of the Jesuits. 

Now the parish priest was the most influen- 
tial man in the community. As native priests 
used this influence to build up the prestige of 
the seculars, the ecclesiastical feuds which arose 
became embittered by racial antagonism. 

When a royal order was received permitting 
the return of the Jesuits it became at once nec- 
essary to find places for them in the ecclesiasti- 
cal government. Spain decided that the par- 
ishes of Cavite and Manila should be hence- 
forth filled by members of the order of Recol- 
lets, who were to transfer their missions in 
Mindanao to the Jesuits. The Archbishop pro- 
tested against this increase in the power of the 



The Philippines of the Past 167 

regular clergy, and the Governor General as- 
sembled his council to act upon the protest. 
All the members of the council who were born 
in Spain voted against the Archbishop. All 
those born in the Philippines voted for him. 
The regulars gained another victory over the 
seculars ; the native was publicly informed that 
he was not fit to administer the parishes of his 
own people, and he saw himself definitely as- 
signed to the position of lay brother or of 
curate. Whatever threads of attachment there 
had been between the opposing factions broke 
on the day of that decision, and every native 
priest from that moment became a center of 
disaffection and of the propaganda of hatred 
of the friars. This was perhaps the real be- 
ginning of the movement which continued, now 
secretly, now openly, until it broke out in actual 
revolt in 1872. The Spaniards put down this 
uprising of the Tagalogs with such cruelty that 
they feared a later retaliation, and sought help 
from the friars. This the friars gave them, in 
return for added wealth and power, which was 
granted, of course, at the expense of the van- 
quished natives. 

Worcester writes in one of his earlier books, 
" During the years 1890-93, while traveling in 
the archipelago, I everywhere heard the mutter- 



168 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

ings that go before a storm. It was the old 
story: compulsory military service; taxes too 
heavy to be borne, and imprisonment or depor- 
tation with confiscation of property for those 
who could not pay them ; no justice except for 
those who could afford to buy it; cruel extor- 
tion by the friars in the more secluded districts ; 
wives and daughters ruined; the marriage cer- 
emony too costly a luxury for the poor; the 
dead refused burial without payment of a sub- 
stantial sum in advance ; no opportunity for ed- 
ucation; little encouragement for industry and 
economy, since to acquire wealth meant to be- 
come a target for officials and friars alike ; these 
and a hundred other wrongs had goaded the na- 
tives and half-castes until they were stung to 
desperation." 

The dissensions in the Philippines which 
ended in the rebellion of 1896-7 began with dis- 
agreements among the Spaniards themselves. 
A progressive party arose before which the cler- 
ical or conservative party slowly but steadily 
lost ground, and the legislation of modern Spain 
was by degrees introduced into the Islands. 
The country was not able to endure the taxation 
which would have been necessary to raise the 
revenues to carry out this legislation. Hence 
laws which were passed against the advice of 



The Philippines of the Past 169 

the Spanish clergy in the Philippines were left 
largely in their hands for execution, not be- 
cause they were loved or trusted, but because 
they were the only Spanish functionaries who 
knew the language and the people and whose 
residence in the Islands was a permanent 
one. If the friars had used their power wisely 
and unselfishly, there would have been no trou- 
ble, but they used it too often simply to keep 
the people down and extort money, for which 
they gave little return. 

By degrees the mestizos took sides. The 
Chinese mestizos soon grew restive under this 
priestly government, and aided the progressive 
Spanish party in Manila. As time passed they 
had it borne in upon them that revolution might 
pay. 

The insurrection of 1896-7 was planned and 
carried out under the auspices of a society local 
to the Philippines, called the ' l Katipunan, ' ' the 
full title of which may be translated as "Su- 
preme Select Association of the Sons of the 
People. ' ' According to Spanish writers on the 
subject, it was the outgrowth of a series of as- 
sociations of Freemasons formed with the ex- 
pressed purpose of securing reforms in the gov- 
ernment of the Philippines, but whose unex- 
pressed and ultimate object was to obtain the 



170 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

independence of the archipelago. As if to ac- 
complish this purpose, a systematic attack was 
made on the monastic orders in the Philippines, 
to undermine their prestige and to destroy their 
influence upon the great mass of the population. 
The honorary president of the Katipunan was 
Jose Eizal, whose name was used, without his per- 
mission, to attract the masses to the movement. 

Eizal was born in 1861 not far from Manila. 
He came of intelligent stock. After his early 
training at the Jesuit school in Manila and the 
Dominican university, Kizal went to Spain, 
where he took high honors at the University of 
Madrid in medicine and philosophy. Post-grad- 
uate work in France and Germany followed. 

He was an ardent patriot, and in order to 
awaken his countrymen to the need of reform, 
although he was a Eoman Catholic, he published 
while in Germany his book called "Noli Me 
Tangere," — Touch Me Not — which dealt with 
the immoral life of the friars. An English 
translation has been issued with the title, "The 
Social Cancer." The circulation of the book 
in the Islands was forbidden, but it was read by 
most of the educated Filipinos. In reading it, 
one is again and again struck by the author's 
clear comprehension of the needs and the diffi- 
culties of the Filipinos, and the calm, unpreju- 




JOSE RIZAL. 



The Philippines of the Past 171 

diced way in which their problems are discussed. 

In 1891, Eizal began the practice of medicine 
in Hongkong. Meanwhile, the Spanish authori- 
ties, in their desire to get him into their power, 
worked upon his feelings by persecuting his 
mother. The trick was successful, and he re- 
turned to Manila, where he was soon arrested, 
and banished to the island of Mindanao. 

The most powerful leader of the insurrec- 
tion was Andres Bonifacio, a passionate and 
courageous man of little education. He sent an 
agent to Dr. Eizal to aid him in escaping from 
his place of exile and to request him to lead the 
Katipunan in open revolt. Eizal refused, be- 
lieving that the Filipinos were not yet ready for 
independence. Bonifacio resolved to proceed 
without him. 

Bonifacio assured his audience that when he 
gave the signal the native troops would join 
them. It was of great importance to the suc- 
cess of his plan that the army, as in 1872, was 
engaged in operations against the Moros. 
There were available in Manila only some three 
hundred Spanish artillery, detachments amount- 
ing to four hundred men, including seamen, and 
two thousand native soldiers. The plot was 
discovered, but Bonifacio escaped from Manila, 
and sent out orders for an uprising in that part 



172 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

of Luzon which had been organized by the Kati- 
punan. Manila was attacked, but the rebels 
were repulsed. Martial law was proclaimed in 
eight provinces of Luzon, followed by wholesale 
executions. Many of those arrested on suspi- 
cion "were confined in Fort Santiago, one batch 
being crowded into a dungeon for which the 
only ventilation was a grated opening at the top, 
and one night the sergeant of the guard care- 
lessly spread his sleeping-mat over this, so 
the next morning some fifty-five asphyxiated 
corpses were hauled away." 

Just before the outbreak, Eizal received per- 
mission to join the army in Cuba as surgeon, 
but on the way there was arrested and brought 
back to Manila. His fate was now sealed. The 
trial by court-martial was a farce. On a De- 
cember day in 1896 he was led to execution. 

Eizal was undoubtedly the noblest and most 
unselfish of the Filipino leaders, and his exe- 
cution was not only a crime but a blunder on 
the part of the Spanish authorities. From his 
prison he issued an address to the Filipinos re- 
markable for its moderation and its condemna- 
tion of the "savage rebellion," stating that the 
education of the people must precede any truly 
beneficial reforms, and urging them to go back 
to their homes. The Spanish officials deemed 



The Philippines of the Past 173 

this not sufficiently "patriotic" to be published, 
and sentenced its author to the death of a 
traitor by shooting in the back. To-day he is 
the national hero of the Filipinos. 

The seacoast towns were under the leadership 
of Emilio Aguinaldo, a young radical, who was 
already a recognized leader among the local 
disaffected. The Spaniards had not expected 
this outbreak in Cavite. Aguinaldo had per- 
sonally assured the governor of the province 
of his devotion to Spain, but when fighting be- 
gan isolated Spanish officers were killed and 
their families carried into captivity. The diffi- 
culties of the Spaniards were increased by the 
fact that the defense of Manila and Cavite until 
reinforcements arrived, would be largely in the 
hands of native troops, among whom the Kati- 
punan was known to have been at work. But 
the troops of the old native regiments — the men 
who for years had followed Spanish officers — 
were on the whole -faithful, and it was largely 
due to them that Manila and Cavite were held. 

The leaders in the insurrection were of that 
class who called themselves ilustrados, en- 
lightened, a class whose blood is, in almost 
every case, partly Spanish or partly Chinese. 
The supremacy of the friars was passing, and 
men of this class intended to be the heirs to 



174 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

their domain. The idea of forming a republic 
and even of adopting the titles appropriate to a 
republic to designate the functionaries of a Ma- 
lay despotism was an afterthought. 

Eeinforcements arrived from Spain, and by 
June 10, 1897, the insurrection was broken, and 
Aguinaldo with his remaining adherents had 
taken refuge at Biacnabato, some sixty miles 
from Manila. He was now without a rival, for 
Bonifacio had dared to attempt his life, had 
been brought before a court-martial, had been 
condemned to death and had disappeared. 

Aguinaldo, who now called himself not only 
Generalissimo of the Army of Liberation but 
President of the Kevolutionary Government, 
had adopted guerilla warfare, and the Spanish 
commands were forced to follow an enemy who 
was never dangerous to large bodies, but who 
always was to small ones — an enemy who, wear- 
ing no uniform, upon the approach of a large 
body became peaceful labourers in the fields 
along the road, but were ready to pick up their 
rifles or bolos and use them against a small 
party or a straggler. Still, whatever they had 
fought for at first, the insurgent leaders were 
now fighting for their own safety. 

The governor general sought in various ways 
to gain the support of the country. He called 



The Philippines of the Past 175 

for Filipino volunteers, and, curiously enough, 
they responded with enthusiasm. The rapidity 
with which they were recruited was probably 
largely due to the activity of the friars. This 
added to the hatred of them felt by the class of 
natives represented by Aguinaldo. 

Between June and December, 1897, the time 
was spent in an obscure bargaining, the outcome 
of which was the so-called Treaty of Biacna- 
bato, which Primo de Eivera — the governor 
general — has stated was merely a promise to 
pay a money bribe to the insurgents if they 
would cease a combat in which they had lost 
hope of success but which they could still pro- 
long to the detriment of the resources and the 
prestige of Spain. 

The result of the bargainings was that Spain 
agreed to pay eight hundred thousand Mexican 
dollars for the surrender of Aguinaldo and his 
principal leaders and the arms and ammunition 
in their possession. An amnesty was pro- 
claimed. Aguinaldo and his leaders were sent 
to Hongkong under escort, where they de- 
clared themselves loyal Spanish subjects. 
Primo de Eivera returned to Spain. As he re- 
ceived in return for the money only about two 
hundred rifles and a little ammunition, it is not 
probable that he made any of the promises of 



176 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

changes in the government of the archipelago 
which the Filipinos have insistently stated since 
then were the real objects of the agreement. 

Whatever may have been the true motives 
which actuated the Spanish governor general 
in adopting this method of terminating a suc- 
cessful campaign, he succeeded in purchasing 
only an armistice and not a peace. On Janu- 
ary 23, 1898, a Te Deum was sung in the cathe- 
dral of Manila to mark the reestablishment of 
peace in the archipelago. 

The insurgent leaders had been bought off and 
their followers had surrendered their arms. 

As Spanish dominion in the Philippines was 
now about to close, let us stop a moment to in- 
quire what it had brought to the Islands. It 
may have been hard and utterly unprogressive, 
but it turned the tribes of Luzon and the Vi- 
sayas from tribal feuds and slave-raiding ex- 
peditions to agriculture. 

To accomplish these results required untiring 
energy and a high enthusiasm among the mis- 
sionaries. They had lived among savages, 
speaking their tongue, until they had almost 
forgotten their own. Spain had ceased to be 
everything to them ; their order was their coun- 
try. Spanish officials came and went, but the 
ministers of the Church remained, and as they 



The Philippines of the Past 177 

grew to be the interpreters of the wants of the 
people, in many cases their protectors against 
spoliation, power fell into their hands. It is 
rather interesting to learn that in 1619, in the 
reign of Philip III, it was proposed to abandon 
the Philippines on account of their useless ex- 
pense to Spain, but a delegation of friars from 
the Islands implored him not to abandon the 
twenty thousand Christians they had converted, 
and the order was countermanded. 

Spanish dominion left the people Christians, 
whereas, if the Islands had not been occupied 
by Spain, their people would in all probability 
to-day be Mohammedan. The point of view of 
the Spanish friars may not be ours, but when 
their efforts are judged by the good rather than 
the evil results, it can still be said that Spain 
gave Christianity and a long term of peace to 
the Philippine archipelago. The Filipinos are 
the only Christian Asiatics. 

But Philippine history was to take an unex- 
pected turn. The Spanish- American war broke 
out, and a new factor appeared upon the scene 
in the shape of Commodore Dewey and his fleet. 
We all know the story of the battle of Manila 
Bay, but we may just recall it briefly. 

It was the night of April 30, 1898, that the 
American Asiatic squadron, which had received 



178 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

its orders at Hongkong, arrived off the Philip- 
pines. They took a look first into Subig Bay, 
but seeing no enemy, they made their way into 
Manila Bay by the Boca Grande entrance. 
There were rumours of mines in the channel and 
big guns in the forts, but Dewey took the chance, 
and the fleet steamed in at night. The ships 
formed two columns, the fighting ships all in 
one line, and the auxiliary vessels about twelve 
hundred yards behind. They moved at the rate 
of their slowest vessel. 

Black thunder clouds at times obscured even 
the crescent moon that partially lighted their 
course, but occasional lightning flashes gave the 
bold Americans a glimpse of frowning Corregi- 
dor and the sentinel rock of El Frai^ The 
ships were dark except for one white light at the 
stern of each as a guide to the vessel next in line. 
As the Olympia turned toward El Fraile her 
light was seen by a Spanish sentry. A sheet of 
flame from the smokestack of the McCulloch, sl 
revenue cutter attached to the fleet, also be- 
trayed its presence to the enemy at the same mo- 
ment. El Fraile and a battery on the south 
shore of the bay at once opened fire, which was 
returned by the ships to such good purpose that 
the battery was silenced in three minutes. 
Slowly, steadily, Dewe} 's ships steamed on, and 



The Philippines of the Past 179 

at dawn discovered the gray Spanish vessels 
lying in front of the naval arsenal at Cavite, 
over on the distant shore to the right. Admiral 
Montojo's flagship, the Reina Cristina, and the 
Castillo, and a number of smaller vessels, formed 
a curved line of battle, which was protected in 
a measure by the shore batteries. The Span- 
iards had one more ship than the Americans, but 
the latter had bigger guns. 

Silently the American squadron advanced 
across the bay, with the Stars and Stripes flying 
from every ship. At quarter past five on the 
morning of May 1st, the Spanish ships fired 
their first shots. When less than six thousand 
yards from their line, Dewey gave the famous 
order to Captain Gridley, in command of the 
Olympia: "You may fire when you're ready, 
Gridley.' ' 

Two hours later, the Reina Cristina had been 
burned, the Castilla was on fire, and all but one 
of the other Spanish vessels were abandoned 
and sunk. Dewey gave his men time for break- 
fast and a little rest, then shelled and silenced 
the batteries at Cavite. Soon after noon the 
Spaniards surrendered, having lost 381 men 
and ten war vessels. Seven Americans were 
slightly wounded, but none were killed. So 
ended this famous battle. 




CHAPTER III 

INSUKKECTION 

DMIRAL DEWEY took a great liking to 
General Anderson, "Fighting Tom" 
(L.'s cousin), the first military officer to 
command the American forces in the Philip- 
pines. On one occasion the Admiral fired a 
salute well after sundown (contrary to naval 
regulations) to compliment him on his promo- 
tion to the rank of major general, and scared 
the wits out of some of the good people ashore. 
General Anderson has given me a few notes 
about his experiences at that time, which are of 
special interest. 

"When in the latter part of April, 1898, 1 re- 
ceived an order relieving me from duty in 
Alaska and ordering me to the Philippines, I 
was engaged in rescuing a lot of people who had 
been buried by an avalanche in the Chilcoot 
Pass. I took my regiment at once to San Fran- 
cisco, and there received an order placing me 
in command of the first military expedition to 
the Philippines. This was the first American 

180 



Insurrection 181 



army that ever crossed an ocean. We were 
given only two days for preparation. We were 
not given a wagon, cart, ambulance, or a single 
army mule, nor boats with which to land our 
men. I received fifty thousand dollars in silver 
and was ordered to render what assistance I 
could. I had never heard of Aguinaldo at that 
time, and all I knew of the Philippines was that 
they were famous for hemp, earthquakes, trop- 
ical diseases and rebellion. 

"We stopped at Honolulu on the way over, 
although the Hawaiian Islands had not been 
annexed. The Kanakas received us with en- 
thusiasm and assured us that the place was a 
paradise before the coming of the missionaries 
and mosquitoes. From there we went to Guam, 
where we found nude natives singing 'Lucy 
Long' and 'Old Dan Tucker,' songs they had 
learned from American sailors. 

"When we reached Cavite the last day of 
June, Admiral Dewey asked me to go ashore 
and call on Aguinaldo, who, he assured me, was 
a native chief of great influence. Our call was 
to have been entirely informal, but when we 
approached the house of the Dictator we found 
a barefooted band in full blare, the bass-drum- 
mer after the rule of the country being the 
leader. The stairway leading to Aguinaldo 's 



182 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

apartment was lined on either side by a strange 
assortment of Filipino warriors, The Chief 
himself was a small man in a very long-tailed 
frock coat, and in his hand he held a collapsible 
opera hat. I saw him many times afterward 
and always thus provided. He asked me at 
once if I could recognize his assumption. This 
I could not do, so when a few days later I in- 
vited him to attend our first Fourth of July he 
declined. He further showed his displeasure 
by failing to be present at the first dinner to 
which we American officers were invited. There 
for the first time we met Filipina ladies. They 
were bare as to their shoulders, yet in some 
mysterious way their dresses remained well in 
place. In dancing there was a continuous shuf- 
fling on the floor because their slippers only half 
covered their light fantastics, rendering them 
more agile than graceful. 

"In returning from visiting the Tagalog 
Chief we saw a headless statue of Columbus. I 
asked a native to explain how Christopher had 
lost his head. The reply was that they be- 
headed him because they did not wish to be dis- 
covered. 

"Soon after I got to Cavite, I was invited 
with the officers of my staff to attend a dinner 
given in my honour. At the symposium I was 



Insurrection 183 



asked to state the principles upon which the 
American government was founded. I an- 
swered, 'The consent of the governed, and ma- 
jority rule.' Buencamino, the toastmaster, re- 
plied, 'We will baptize ourselves to that senti- 
ment, ' upon which he emptied his champagne 
glass on his head. The others likewise wasted 
their good wine. 

"When General Merritt arrived he first came 
ashore at a village behind the line we had es- 
tablished where Aguinaldo was making his 
headquarters. Eain was falling in torrents at 
the time, but Aguinaldo, who must have known 
of the presence of the new Governor General, 
failed to ask him to take shelter in his head- 
quarters. Naturally General Merritt was in- 
dignant and directed that thereafter any neces- 
sary business should be conducted through me. 
This placed me in a very disagreeable position. 
At first I thought I could conciliate and use the 
Filipinos against the Spaniards, but General 
Merritt brought an order from President Mc- 
Kinley directing that we should only recognize 
the Filipinos as rebellious subjects of Spain. 
Aguinaldo reproached me bitterly for my 
change of conduct toward him, but because of 
my orders I could not do otherwise, nor could I 
explain the cause. 



184 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

"We soon drifted into open hostility. I 
found but one man who appeared to understand 
the situation, and he was the much hated Arch- 
bishop Nozaleda. After we took Manila he 
invited me to come to see him. He remarked in 
the course of our conversation that when we 
took the city by storm he expected to see our 
soldiers kill the men and children and violate 
the women. But instead he praised us for hav- 
ing maintained perfect order. For reply I 
quoted the Latin, l Par cere subjectis, et debel- 
lare superbos.' Which prompted him to say 
in Spanish to a Jesuit priest, 'Why, these peo- 
ple seem to be civilized.' To which the Jesuit 
replied, 'Yes, we have some colleges in their 
country. ' 

' ' The statement that we seemed to be civilized 
calls for an explanation. I found many Fili- 
pinos feared American rule might prove more 
severe on them than the Spanish control. In a 
school book that I glanced at in a Spanish school 
was the enlightening statement that the Ameri- 
cans were a cruel people who had exterminated 
the entire Indian population of North America. ' ' 

The battle of Manila Bay was fought and won, 
as we well remember, on May Day. Through 
the kind offices of the British consul the Spanish 
admiral came to an understanding with Dewey. 



Insurrection 185 



Surgeons were sent ashore to assist in the care 
of the wounded Spaniards, and sailors to act as 
police. The cable was cut, and the blockade 
was carried into effect at once. The foreign 
population was allowed to leave for China. 
German men-of-war kept arriving in the har- 
bour, until there were five in all. It was known 
that Germany sympathized with Spain, and only 
the timely arrival of some friendly English 
ships, and the trenchant diplomacy of our ad- 
miral, prevented trouble. 

All the rest of that month, and the next, and 
still the next, the fleet lay at anchor, threaten- 
ing the city with its guns, but making no effort 
to take it. The people lived in constant fear of 
bombardment from the ships which they could 
so plainly see from the Luneta on their evening 
promenades. But they could not escape, for 
Aguinaldo's forces lay encamped behind them 
in the suburbs. In fact, the refugees were seek- 
ing safety within the walls of the city, instead 
of fleeing from it, for while they had no love 
for the Spaniards, and were fellow countrymen 
of the rebel chieftain, they preferred to take 
their chances of bombardment rather than risk 
his method of "peaceful occupation." 

Of course there was no cooperation between 
the Americans and the Filipinos, although both 



186 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

wanted the same thing and each played some- 
what into the other's hand. Admiral Dewey 
refused to give Aguinaldo any naval aid, and 
the insurrectos on at least two occasions found 
it profitable to betray our plans to the common 
enemy. 

The delay in taking the city was caused by 
Dewey's shortage of troops. He could have 
taken it at any time, but could not have occupied 
it. The Spanish commander made little at- 
tempt at defense. A formal attack on one of the 
forts satisfied the demands of honour. When 
the city surrendered, on August 13th, the Amer- 
icans were in the difficult position of guarding 
thirteen thousand Spanish soldiers, of keeping 
at bay some fourteen thousand plunder-mad 
Filipinos, and of policing a city of two hundred 
thousand people — all with some ten thousand 
men! 

The way in which it was accomplished is in 
effective contrast with European methods. 
When our troops broke the line of trenches en- 
circling Manila they pressed quickly forward 
through the residence district to the old walled 
town, which housed the governmental depart- 
ments of the city. Here they halted in long 
lines, resting calmly on their arms until the ar- 
ticles of capitulation were signed. It took but 



Insurrection 187 



an hour or so to arrange for the disposition of 
our troops among the various barracks and for 
the removal of the disarmed Spanish garrison 
to the designated places of confinement. Then 
command was passed along by mounted officers 
for the several regiments to proceed to their 
quarters for the night. In columns of four they 
marched off with the easy swing and unconcern 
of troops on practice march. A thin cordon of 
sentinels appeared at easy hailing distance 
along the principal streets, and the task was 
accomplished. 

By noon next day they had a stability as great 
as though they had been there for years. Not 
a woman was molested, not a man insulted, and 
the children on the street were romping with 
added zest to show off before their new-found 
friends. The banks felt safe to open their 
vaults, and the merchants found a healthily ris- 
ing market. The ships blockaded and idling at 
anchor in the harbour discharged their cargoes, 
the customs duties being assessed according to 
the Spanish tariff by bright young volunteers, 
aided by interpreters. The streets were cleaned 
of their accumulated filth, and the courts of law 
were opened. All this was done under General 
Anderson's command, and it seems to me is 
much to his credit. 



188 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

A daughter of General Anderson's, who was 
there at the time with her father, writes : ' l Days 
of intense anxiety followed the opening of hos- 
tilities. The Filipinos were pushed back more 
and more, but we feared treachery within the 
city. We heard that they were going to poison 
our water supply, that they were going to rise 
and bolo us all, that every servant had his secret 
instructions. Also, that Manila was to be 
burned. There proved to be something in this, 
for twice fires were started and gained some 
headway, and we women were banished to the 
transports again.' 9 

Aguinaldo had demanded at least joint occu- 
pation of the city, and his full share of the loot 
as a reward for services rendered. We can 
imagine his disgust at being told that Ameri- 
cans did not loot, and that they intended to hold 
the city themselves. If there had been no other 
reason for refusing him, the conduct of his 
troops in the suburbs would have furnished a 
sufficient one, for they were utterly beyond con- 
trol, assaulting and plundering their own 
brother Filipinos and neutral foreigners, as well 
as Spaniards, and torturing their prisoners. 
But this refusal, justifiable as it certainly was, 
marked the real beginning of the insurrection 



Insurrection 189 



against American rule, though there was no im- 
mediate outbreak. 

Aguinaldo was a mestizo school teacher when, 
in 1896, he became leader of the insurrection 
against Spain. The money with which Spain 
hoped to purchase peace was to be paid in three 
instalments, the principal condition being that 
the Filipino leaders should leave the Islands. 
This they did, going to Hongkong, where the 
first instalment was promptly deposited in a 
bank. The second instalment, to Aguinaldo 's 
great disgust, was paid over to Filipinos left in 
the Islands, and the last one was not paid at all. 
This was just as well for him, because his fellow 
insurrectionists were already demanding of him 
an accounting for the funds in Hongkong, and 
had him summoned to court for the purpose. 
This proceeding he wisely avoided by leaving 
for Europe in disguise. 

He got only as far as Singapore, however, 
for there — in April of '98 — he heard of the prob- 
ability of American interference in the Islands 
and interviewed our consul. The go-between 
for this interview was an unscrupulous inter- 
preter, whose intrigues were destined to have 
far-reaching effects for us. It has been 
charged that both our consul at Singapore and 



190 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

the one at Hongkong committed this nation to 
a policy favouring Philippine independence, but 
the whole question of American pledges finally 
resolves itself into a choice between the word 
of an American admiral and a Chinese mestizo. 

When Spain had failed to pay over to Agui- 
naldo the balance of the peace money, he had 
promptly gone to work to organize another revo- 
lution from the safe harbourage of Hongkong. 
His flight to Singapore had interrupted this, 
but now, with the Americans so conspicuously 
there to "help," it was a simple matter to put 
his plans in operation. 

A month after the battle of Manila Bay Agui- 
naldo proclaimed himself "president" (in real- 
ity military dictator) of the "Filipino Bepub- 
lic." But this republic existed only on paper. 
Dewey accurately states the condition of affairs 
when he says, ' ' Our fleet had destroyed the only 
government there was, and there was no other 
government; there was a reign of terror 
throughout the Philippines, looting, robbing, 
murdering. ' ' A form of municipal election was 
held, but if a candidate not favoured by the in- 
surgents was elected, he was at once deposed. 
One candidate won his election by threatening 
to kill any one who got the office in his place. 
Persons "contrary minded" were not allowed 



Insurrection 191 



to vote. These happenings hardly suggest a 
republican form of government, but they are 
typical of conditions at that time. 

Naturally the self-styled president was not 
recognized by the American officials, and they 
were justified, as is shown by the fact that 
before the year was up Aguinaldo himself had 
come to realize that he could not maintain order 
among his people, and tried to resign from his 
office. 

Meanwhile his lack of recognition by the 
Americans, and his exclusion from the spoils of 
war, so far as Manila was concerned, showed 
him that his only hope of achieving his ambitions 
lay in driving these interlopers from the Islands. 
But for the time being, while awaiting a pro- 
pitious moment for attack, he occupied himself 
and his men by conquering the Spaniards in the 
outlying provinces. Since there was no co- 
operation among the Spanish forces, he was 
quite successful. Having proclaimed the re- 
public with himself at the head, he felt justi- 
fied in maintaining, with the aid of his booty, a 
truly regal state in his palace at Malolos, aping 
the forms and ceremonies of the Spanish gov- 
ernors in Manila. 

As fast as Church property, or property be- 
longing to Spaniards, fell into his hands, it was 



192 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

confiscated and turned over to the State — if 
Agninaldo can be considered the State. His 
houses and those of his generals were furnished 
from Spanish possessions, all title deeds were 
systematically destroyed or hidden, and admin- 
istrators were appointed for the property. 

At the beginning of the new year (1899), he 
turned his attention to the Americans, and 
Manila. Because our forces seemed reluctant 
to fight, the Filipinos, like the Mexicans to-day, 
believed that they must be cowards and afraid 
to meet them. A Mexican paper has recently 
told its readers what a simple matter it would 
be, if war were declared, for their troops to 
cross the border and crush such slight opposi- 
tion as may be offered to the capture of Wash- 
ington. So it is no wonder that the Filipinos 
felt confident of success, especially after their 
victories over the Spaniards in the outlying 
regions. 

By January, Admiral Dewey, General Ander- 
son and General Merritt had left the Philippine 
Islands and General Otis was in command. He 
announced that the government of the United 
States would be extended over the islands of the 
archipelago. Next day Aguinaldo retorted with 
what was virtually a declaration of war. From 
then on he and his advisers hastened their 



Insurrection 193 



preparations for the conflict. Members of the 
native militia who were living in Manila under 
the protection of the American garrison were 
warned to stand ready to receive the signal 
which should start the sack and pillage of the 
city and the massacre of its inhabitants. By 
the end of January there were about thirty 
thousand Filipinos under arms fronting the 
American lines outside the city, all keyed up for 
the moment when they should be let loose to 
drive the Americans into the sea. This time the 
spoils of Manila should not be snatched from 
them! 

The signal for the advance was to be a con- 
flagration in Manila. Ten thousand militiamen 
were to rise, set fire to the city, free the Spanish 
prisoners of war, arm them with arms stored 
in the arsenal, and attack the Americans. They 
were to be promptly aided in this last detail by 
the thirty thousand Filipinos waiting outside, 
who, surrounding the city, would drive back the 
fourteen thousand American soldiers upon their 
burning citadel and upon the two hundred thou- 
sand Filipinos, who would by this time have 
joined their countrymen. If everything had 
worked out as he had planned, Aguinaldo might 
very probably have entered the city. 

He chose a night early in February, at a time 



194 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

when he knew the American reinforcements 
which had been ordered could not yet have ar- 
rived. Firing began about nine o'clock in the 
evening, near the San Juan bridge, and contin- 
ued during the night. Meanwhile, the militia 
in the city tried to assemble, but the groups were 
promptly fired on and dispersed. In the morn- 
ing the ships of Dewey's fleet opened fire from 
the flanks of the American line. A little later 
our troops sprang forward and swept their an- 
tagonists before their fierce attack. In this en- 
counter the Filipinos lost about eight hundred, 
and the Americans two hundred and fifty. 

For a week the insurgents were quite de- 
moralized, and no wonder, for this was not the 
way they had expected the ' * cowardly ' ' Ameri- 
cans to act. But when they saw that our men 
did not follow up their advantage by pursuit, 
their courage revived and they began once more 
to believe those things which they wished to be- 
lieve. Our troops had to stay where they were 
because they had not sufficient transportation 
to take them anywhere else, because the en- 
emy within the city still needed their attention, 
and because their reinforcements had not ar- 
rived. 

When these came, General Otis divided his 
forces. General MacArthur began a movement 



Insurrection 195 



from his right against the insurgents, who con- 
tested every village and locality capable of de- 
fense, and burned every train before abandon- 
ing it to American hands. The insurgent 
capital, Malolos, was occupied. In April, Gen- 
eral Lawton took Santa Cruz. The American 
casualties during these operations were about 
ten thousand officers and men, but the sick re- 
port listed fifteen per cent of the expedition, 
mostly from heat prostration. 

General Lawton, who went out early in 1899, 
and was killed in December of the same year at 
San Mateo, is believed to have been perhaps the 
most able of our commanders. 

Uniformly the Filipinos lost, but when their 
courage waned their officers would announce 
that they had won a big victory somewhere else. 
In one day, they reported, we had lost twenty- 
eight thousand men, in a region where in the 
entire month we had lost but fifty-six. On 
another occasion they announced that two thou- 
sand colonels had been killed. They must have 
thought our troops were all from Kentucky. 

All summer and into the fall this more or less 
formal and regular warfare continued. But by 
that time Aguinaldo had decided that while a 
concentrated field army might appear more 
impressive to foreigners and be better for adver- 



196 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

tising purposes, it was not effective for his pur- 
pose, and some change must be made. The dis- 
content among the conservative men who still 
had anything to lose was increasing, while the 
labourers in the fields, the fishermen, and the 
great masses of the people were growing weary 
of the war and the exactions of the commanders 
of their troops. The spell which Aguinaldo had 
cast over Luzon was almost broken. The war 
was nearly over, it seemed — in a civilized coun- 
try it would have been over. 

To the Americans it appeared that the insur- 
rection had been destroyed, and that all they 
now had to do was to sweep up the remnants of 
the insurgent forces by a system of police ad- 
ministration not likely to be either difficult or 
dangerous. In November, MacArthur had his 
force ready to strike anything within reach, but 
there seemed to be nothing within, reach to 
strike. He soon came to the conclusion that 
there was no organized resistance left, that the 
insurgent army had broken into fragments 
which would soon become banditti. The dis- 
bandment of the insurgent field forces, which 
the American authorities took to mean the com- 
ing of a general submission to our rule, was fol- 
lowed by a long period of inactivity. This, of 
course, strengthened the impression, but the 




GENERAL LAWTON. 



Insurrection 197 



time was being used by the Filipinos to prepare 
for a new method of warfare and to organize 
for resistance by means of a general banding 
of the people together in support of the gue- 
rillas in the field. 

To obtain this necessary cooperation the 
leaders announced the inflexible principle that 
every native residing within the limits of the 
archipelago owed active individual allegiance 
to the insurgent cause. This was enforced by 
severe penalties, including burial alive, which 
were systematically exacted. There was little 
resistance on the part of the victims, who ac- 
cepted the new policy with a curious combination 
of loyalty, apathy, ignorance and timidity. 

In this way there arose a strange system of 
dual government, in many cases the town offi- 
cials openly serving the Americans while they 
were secretly aiding the insurrection, and with 
apparently equal solicitude for both. Each 
town was the base for the neighbouring gue- 
rillas, and when a band was too hard pressed it 
would dissolve and take refuge in its own com- 
munity. This was easy enough to accomplish, 
with the aid of the people, for it took very little 
to transform a Filipino soldier into a good imi- 
tation of a peaceful native. 

Several months before the formal declara- 



198 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

tion of guerilla warfare in November of 1899, 
the Filipino commanders had adopted a policy 
of occupying a succession of strong defensive 
positions and forcing our army to a never end- 
ing repetition of tactical deployments. This 
they did with such skill that they were for a 
time successful. The native force would hover 
within easy distance of the American camps, 
but would avoid close conflict and temporarily 
disband. This would not be regarded by them 
as a calamity, but simply as a change from one 
form of action to another, and even a positive 
advantage. 

By February of 1900, General Bates had suc- 
ceeded in scattering the larger bodies in the 
south of Luzon, and while some of the Filipino 
leaders and their followers abandoned the 
cause, which they saw was hopeless, others re- 
turned to the life of bandits, which in many 
cases had probably been their profession before 
the war. When their guns were gone they took 
up the knife and the torch. They did not cease 
to call themselves soldiers of the republic, but 
they were not in reality. 

By September General MacArthur, who had 
succeeded General Otis in command of the 
American forces in the Islands, realized that 
the opposition to American control came from 



Insurrection 199 



the towns, and that the guerilla bands could 
not exist without their support. At first he 
thought that on account of the efficiency of his 
troops, the natives would be actuated both by 
conviction and self-interest to support him. 
But four months later he saw that further pres- 
sure was needed to secure this. So he ordered 
that all persons suspected of contraband traffic 
with insurgent organizations should be arrested 
and sent to Manila. In January, 1901, he 
ordered the deportation to Guam of twenty-six 
Filipino leaders, sympathizers, and agents, who 
were to remain there until peace had been for- 
mally declared. Two months later, Aguinaldo 
was captured by the dare-devil Funston of "the 
Suicide Squad.' ' 

The effect of this measure was to alarm the 
leaders, of course, who now realized that they 
could be held responsible for their acts. Orders 
were also issued that all men who surrendered 
should be disarmed but released at once, while 
those captured in the field or arrested in the 
towns should be held in custody till the end of 
the war. A letter was found, written by a 
bandit leader, in March, saying that he was 
ordered to "proceed more rapidly' ' with his 
operations, "as Bryan ordered Emilio (Agui- 
naldo) to keep the war going vigorously until 



200 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

April' ' However true that may have been, it 
is certain that the encouragement which the in- 
surgents received from the country they were 
fighting much prolonged hostilities and caused 
the loss of many lives on both sides. 

It is hard to realize at this distance the 
lengths to which the anti-imperialists went, 
or were willing to go, in those days. Governor 
Pack told me of an experience he had with one 
of them — a New Englander of good family and 
American antecedents. Pack was on his way 
out to the Islands at the time, and on arriving 
at Hongkong received the tidings of McKinley's 
assassination. He was surprised to see this 
man, a fellow-passenger, rush up to a Filipino 
with the news and shake his hand, congratulat- 
ing him on what had happened. The Governor, 
then a young civilian, could not forget the shock- 
ing incident and later, when they shared the 
same stateroom on the small boat for Manila, 
he discovered papers which proved that his 
companion intended to furnish aid and encour- 
agement to any natives who wished to fight 
against American " tyranny.' ' This discovery 
gave Pack his appointment as one of the seven 
lieutenant governors of the hill tribes. But the 
other man was punished only by being refused 
entrance to the Islands. It was the stupid and 



Insurrection 201 



foolish fashion in America then — as indeed it 
still is — to call this particular form of treason 
Idealism, and be lenient with it. 

Our soldiers found it difficult to take seriously 
the bands of half naked men, who, they knew, 
had been pillaging the villages of their own 
race. It was true that these bands were diffi- 
cult to pursue and capture, but an army which 
fought only from ambush, whose detachments 
fell only upon stragglers and carefully avoided 
the main body of its enemy, and which showed 
no regard for the sacredness of a flag of truce, 
could not inspire much respect. Plunder ap- 
peared to be the sole excuse for its existence, 
and the pompous titles assumed by its com- 
manders were amusing for the leaders of rob- 
bers. The Americans followed the retreating 
bandits without hatred and without fear. But 
they became weary of the eternal pursuit, and 
felt a growing irritation. 

The Filipinos, however, felt very differently 
about their soldiers, and it is only fair to give 
their side too, especially as it may throw some 
light on the Mexican situation. Even the richest 
and most highly educated men found nothing to 
laugh at in these poor bands which were after 
all composed of their own people fighting and 
suffering for a cause which they could at least 



202 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

understand, whether or not they sympathized 
with it. They did not regard the pillaging, tor- 
tures, and murders to which the Filipinos sub- 
jected their own people as we did. They called 
the robbery "collecting contributions for the 
support of the war." As for the murders — in 
the Orient to kill is an immemorial right of the 
rulers of men. What if they did fight disguised 
as peaceful country folk? They were a weak 
people fighting against a strong. They were 
naked and they were hungry, and they were 
fighting for a cause. Their arms were often 
of little use, and they made powder out of match 
heads and cartridge shells out of the zinc roofs 
of parish buildings, and even then they had only 
ammunition enough to fire a few volleys and 
then run. But men so armed had forced the 
United States to send out nearly seventy thou- 
sand well equipped soldiers to subdue them. 
To the native Filipino, as perhaps to the Mexi- 
can to-day, the ragged and half savage figures 
of the guerillas stood for their vision of a united 
race. 

But it was natural that our troops could not 
understand this, and that they should gradually 
become embittered against their antagonists. 
The officers, by the necessary division of our 



Insurrection 203 



forces, found themselves confronted with con- 
ditions utterly alien to their experience. They 
had to live in native houses or churches, in the 
midst of four or live thousand people whose 
language they did not speak, and whose thoughts 
were not their thoughts. Most of them were 
young men. They came from all over the 
United States, and were neither monsters nor 
saints, but good examples of their time and 
country. 

When these officers learned that the dignified 
Asiatics who called upon them daily, who drank 
with them, who talked with them, and who held 
offices under our government, were also spies 
of the guerilla leaders, secretly aiding those 
who were anxious to win the price set on their 
heads, they were hardly pleased. When they 
found that every movement of the guerillas was 
reported to them just too late to be of any use, 
while every movement of their own small forces 
was promptly made known to the enemy, and 
when they were present at the disinterment of 
the twisted bodies of the men who had been 
buried alive because they were loyal to us, they 
decided that stricter measures were necessary. 
This was a state of war. Within wide limits 
their will was law. Upon their judgment hung 



204 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

not merely their lives and those of their men, 
but the honour of their country and their regi- 
ment. Perhaps in some cases they met cruelty 
with cruelty, but they at least tried to be honest 
and just. And the people came to realize this, 
and also that they were not afraid, with the re- 
sult that whole communities transferred their 
allegiance from their own guerilla leaders to a 
single young American, not because he under- 
stood them or sympathized with them, but be- 
cause he was a man whom they could trust and 
respect. 

i To-day Aguinaldo seems to be a thoroughly "reconstructed 
rebel," as this incident told by General Anderson's daughter 
shows : 

"While spending the day with friends who have a sugar 
estate near Kalamba, our party was augmented by Aguinaldo, 
Pablo Ocampo and another ilustrado whose name I've forgot- 
ten. They had come over from Cavite, where Aguinaldo has 
his farm, to see this estate with its modern sugar machinery. 
After going over the farm very thoroughly with the party I 
found myself next the former General at lunch. Conversation 
was difficult, as he spoke no English and not very fluent Span- 
ish. I timidly asked him in desperation of something to say, 
if he remembered my father. On learning that he was the 
first Americano General to fight him, over fifteen years before, 
he became most interested, and asked very warmly to be re- 
membered. When I told him my father was also retired and 
settled on his little farm he was pleased and said it was the 
real life. I think he is sincerely a farmer and will not be 
lured back to the hazards of political life. He is a modest, 
quiet, diffident little native of the pure Filipino type. He as- 
sured me that his children were making good progress in 
English and were at school working hard." 



Insurrection 205 



It was July of 1902, four years after our tak- 
ing of Manila, before the Islands could be offi- 
cially declared pacified. Let us hope that the 
lessons which we learned then may not be for- 
gotten in our dealings with Mexico. 1 



CHAPTER IV 

FOLLOWING THE FLAG 

They taught Filipinos the right way to work, 

And they taught as if teaching were fun; 
They taught them to spell and to build themselves roads, 

And the best way to handle a gun. 
Were their salaries so big that the task was worth while ? 

Did they save a eentavo of pay? 
Have the average men an account with the bank? 

Never a cent — not they. 

So we haven't a job and we haven't a cent, 

And nobody cares a damn; 
But we've done our work and we've done it well, 

To the glory of Uncle Sam, 
And we've seen a lot, and we've lived a lot 

In these islands over the sea — 
Would we change with our brothers grown rich at home ? 

Praise be to God — not we. 

From "The Swan Song," in the Manila Bulletin. 

T is, strangely enough, to the influence of 
that arch anti-imperialist, William Jen- 
nings Bryan, that we owe the ratification of 
the Treaty of Paris, which not only ended the 
war with Spain but expressly provided for the 
purchase of the Philippine Islands. The Demo- 
crats were opposed to the treaty and were 

206 



Following the Flag 207 

powerful enough in the Senate to have held it 
up, had not Bryan used his authority to secure 
the two-thirds vote needed for its ratification. 
It is amusing to note that a year later, after 
enabling us to acquire the islands, he used all 
his power to prevent our keeping them. He 
was at this time in need of a popular plank in 
his third presidential platform, and the sorrows 
of the Filipinos suited his purpose admirably. 

Soon after the Treaty of Paris, and long be- 
fore the end of the insurrection, McKinley ap- 
pointed a commission of experts to go out to the 
Islands and report to him on conditions there. 
They found a country whose civilization was, to 
put it hopefully, at a standstill. It was too big 
a problem to be straightened out by a few am- 
bitious Filipinos. The Commission returned to 
America convinced of the necessity of our occu- 
pation. 

Congress soon passed a special organic act 
for the organization of a civil government in 
the Islands, to succeed the military rule then 
in force. In 1900, President McKinley ap- 
pointed the second Commission, headed by Mr. 
Taft, which was instructed to assume control of 
the Islands, gradually relieving the army 
wherever conditions allowed of their doing so. 

This Commission had five members, three of 



208 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

them lawyers (two of whom had been on the 
bench), and two professors. Its functions 
were at first legislative and judicial, but in 1901, 
when the president of the Commission, Mr. Taf t, 
became Governor General of the Islands, the 
other members were given the portfolios of the 
different departments and executive power in 
the pacified parts of the Islands. Dean C. 
Worcester, a member of the earlier Commission 
and already an authority on the Philippines, 
became the first Minister of the Interior ; Luke 
E. Wright, the Vice Governor, had the Depart- 
ment of Commerce and Police ; H. C. Ide, former 
Chief Justice of Samoa, had charge of Finance 
and Justice, while Professor Moses was put at 
the head of Public Instruction. Governor Taft 
became really the " Father of the Philippines,' ' 
for when he left the Islands in 1904 to become 
Secretary of War he had even higher authority 
over them than he had had as governor, while 
still later, as President of the United States, he 
was able to see that the same high standard of 
appointments was maintained. 1 

i After Mr. Taft had made his journey to Rome to arrange 
the friar land question, he received a remarkable ovation 
upon his return to the Philippines. When he was appointed 
Secretary of War, Manila was flooded with posters bearing 
the words, in various languages, "We want Taft," and such 
a host of petitions from influential citizens was sent to 



Following the Flag 209 

McKinley charged this Commission that their 
work was "not to subjugate, but to emanci- 
pate." We made many mistakes, for we were 
new to the business and dealing with a strange 
people, but until very lately even the selfishness 
which is supposed to be inherent in party poli- 
tics has been absent in our dealings with this 
people, whom we considered our sacred charge. 
No one ever asked an American official in the 
Islands what his politics were. Even the gov- 
ernorship itself was out of the reach of the 
spoilsman. Of the five governors who were ap- 
pointed by the Eepublican administrations, only 
one besides the first governor belonged to the 
dominant party, and he was in office but a few 
months. 

Since the Taft Commission first organized, 
several changes have taken place. Filipino 
members have been added, and it has acquired 
the character of an upper house, rather than a 
legislature. The work of a lower house is done 
by the Assembly, made up of eighty-one mem- 
bers chosen by the people of the Christian tribes. 
They have no authority over the Moro and other 
non-Christian tribes, which are legislated for 

Washington that Mr. Eoosevelt canceled the appointment. It 
was not until some time later that it was renewed and Mr. 
Taft left the Philippines to take his seat in the Cabinet at 
Washington. 



210 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

by the Commission directly. To-day the Fili- 
pinos control their municipal and county gov- 
ernments, but their finances are kept under 
supervision. 

The problems which the Commissioners had 
to solve were many and varied. Trade was at 
a standstill. During the last normal year under 
Spain the exports from the Islands had 
amounted to about sixteen million dollars. By 
1912 they had more than trebled. There was 
also a currency problem. Coins from every- 
where — Mexico, China, America, India — were 
in common circulation, with almost daily fluc- 
tuations in value. The Islands now have their 
own money on a gold basis. Then, close on 
the heels of the insurrection, came a famine. 
Locusts swept over the land and destroyed what 
little grain the war had left. The natives in 
some parts of the archipelago ate the locusts, 
however, and liked them, making the work of 
the officials more difficult. Grain shipped from 
America decayed in the storehouses before it 
could be distributed, and, as if that were not 
enough, carabaos died by the thousand from 
rinderpest. 

But the most difficult of all was the problem 
of the friar lands. Thousands of acres of valu- 
able land had been acquired during Spanish rule 



Following the Flag 211 

by the different orders of monks, and held by 
them with great profit. One of the chief causes 
of Aguinaldo's rebellion was the exactions of 
these wealthy churchmen, which galled a patient 
people into final revolt, and during the ascend- 
ancy of the insurgent government resulted in 
the confiscation of Church property and the 
flight of the friars. These men took refuge in 
Manila, and petitioned the new government for 
a settlement of their claims. Their legal rights 
were not to be disputed, but to return them to 
their property and protect them there would 
have brought on us the increased enmity of a 
people whose friendship we were trying to win. 
The friends of the friars were no friends of the 
people. It was decided to have the Philippine 
Government buy these lands from the Church, 
which was accordingly arranged. Even this 
was not a popular solution, but seems to have 
been the best that could be done under the cir- 
cumstances. One-third of these lands are still 
vacant. 

Road building was one of the most baffling of 
the problems. The people had no appreciation 
of the necessity for good roads, and would not 
pay for them nor help keep them in repair when 
they were built. For years the Commission 
toiled at the seemingly hopeless task, and it was 



212 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

not until Governor Forbes went out there from 
Boston that anything definite was accomplished. 
His native city should be very proud of his 
brilliantly successful administration, the proofs 
of which met us at every turn during our stay 
in the archipelago, and convinced us of the fatal 
mistake it is to allow such a position as Gover- 
nor of the Philippines to become the prize of 
politicians. To the native mind his name 
became inseparably connected with roads. 
Caminero means a road man, and Cameron 
Forbes is of course known to the Filipino as 
' l Caminero Forbays. ' ' He had been a commis- 
sioner five years when made governor general, 
which office he held for four more. When Mr. 
Wilson became president, Governor Forbes was 
advised not to tender his resignation, for it was 
believed the new administration would wish to 
keep the Islands clear of the spoil system. 

Suddenly out of a clear sky, the Governor 
General received this cablegram from the In- 
sular Bureau: 

"Harrison confirmed August 21st. The 
President desires him to sail September 10th. 
Will it be convenient to have your resignation 
accepted September 1st. Harrison to accept 
and take the oath of office September 2nd. The 
President desires to meet your convenience. 



Following the Flag 213 

Should Harrison take linen, silver, glass, china 
and automobiles? What else would you sug- 
gest? Wife and children will accompany him. 
Please engage for him servants you leave.' ' 

Worst of all, it was given out to the papers 
before the Governor received it, so that certain 
anti- American sheets in Manila had the pleasure 
of flaunting the news on their front pages for 
him to read. Surely some more considerate 
and courteous method of retiring a fine ad- 
ministrator might have been devised than this 
abrupt and rude dismissal, and it would seem 
that petty household matters might have been 
kept separate. 

Secretary Worcester, also a native of New 
England, who is the greatest living authority 
on the Islands, and whose achievements with 
the wild, non-Christian tribes had been mar- 
velous — to say nothing of his other excellent 
work — had also of course to resign. Forbes, 
by the way, is not a Republican, but neither is 
he a Democrat, and Independents are not po- 
litically useful. 

The work of the administration immediately 
preceding that of Governor Harrison is worth 
at least a partial summary. Besides building 
roads, establishing a good health resort at 
Baguio, systematizing the work of the govern- 



214 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

ment, reducing the number of bureaus, cutting 
down expenses and eliminating duplication of 
work, and numerous other public services, Gov- 
ernor Forbes succeeded in accomplishing the 
following : 

The reorganization of the merchant marine. 

The construction of aids to navigation — 
buoys, lighthouses and beacons, wharves and 
harbours. 

The removal of restrictions from shipping. 

The establishment of a policy for the exclusive 
use of permanent materials in construction, 
practically all the construction in the Islands 
being done of reinforced concrete and selected 
woods. 

The passage of a law providing for proper 
development of irrigation, laying aside an an- 
nual sum for that purpose. 

The establishment of a cadastral law for 
registering law titles. "Under this system it 
was possible to get land titles settled, one of the 
most difficult and important problems confront- 
ing any government and one bearing directly 
on the welfare of the people in various ways. 

"A general system was adopted of loaning 
to provinces and municipalities to encourage 
them in the construction of public works, par- 
ticularly those of a revenue-bearing nature; 



Following the Flag 215 

most especially markets, which, improved the 
sanitary condition of the food supply and 
proved both popular with the people and profit- 
able for the municipalities; these markets 
usually paid for themselves in five years from 
the increased revenues. 

"The Governor's influence was used through- 
out to make the instruction in the schools prac- 
tical in its nature ; children were taught to make 
things that would prove to be salable and which 
would give them a living. The dignity of la- 
bour was emphasized. Encouragement was 
given to foster the construction of railroads. 

"The establishment of a postal savings bank 
encouraged the children to invest. Prizes were 
given for that child or school which showed the 
best record.' ' (Governor Forbes took an espe- 
cial interest in the latter.) 

The first general election was held in the 
Islands on the third of July, 1907, to choose 
delegates for the Assembly. Before that the 
Philippine Commission had been the sole legis- 
lative body. The delegates were chosen from 
the thirty-five Christian provinces. At that 
time only a minute percentage of the population, 
even among the Filipinos, was qualified to meet 
the simple conditions which w T ould enable them 
to vote, and to-day the percentage is far from 



216 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

large. The electorate consists mainly of two 
classes, the ilustrados, or educated natives and 
mestizos, 1 and the taos, or peasants. The latter 
are not only ignorant but indifferent, with no 
vision beyond what their eyes can see, and no 
interest in who governs them, so long as crops 
are good and taxes low. One of the tasks of 
onr representatives is to educate and awaken 
these people to responsible citizenship. It is a 
task still far from accomplishment. 

It must be admitted that the work of the 
Assembly to-day, after eight years of fair trial, 
does not encourage Filipinization of the service. 
It is .fortunate — at times — that the two legis- 
lative bodies have equal power not only to 
initiate legislation but to block the passage of 
each other's bills. In this way the Commission 
has been able to hold up some of the freak legis- 
lation sent up to it by the lower body. The 
Manila Times has published a list of the laws 
which were wanted by the Filipino assembly- 
men recently. They spent the valuable time of 
the entire first session talking them over and 
the Commission refused to concur. One was 
to increase their own salaries, of course. An- 

i It is difficult to realize the importance of the mestizo class 
in the Philippines. There are about seventy-five thousand 
Spanish mestizos and half & million Chinese mestizos. 




vs. 

'A 
— 

O 



Following the Flag 217 

other was to erect monuments to all the ilus- 
trados who had cried "Bajo los Americanos" 
most loudly. Others wanted to fly the Philip- 
pine flag above the American on all masts, to 
make a legal holiday of the birthday of Bizal's 
grandmother, and to free all prisoners, no mat- 
ter what their crimes. 

As may be imagined, a body of men which can 
pass such bills is quite capable of blocking the 
sane legislation which comes to them for ap- 
proval, and unfortunately they have the power 
to do this. The way in which the slavery^ ques- 
tion was handled illustrates their methods. 

Slavery was known to exist in the Islands, 
and to take two forms, — actual slavery, where 
one person was sold by another, and a sort of 
semi-slavery, or peonage, where a man sold his 
services for debt. 

The peon was given his keep, but the interest 
on his debt was added faster than he could earn. 
He was really a slave, except that he had sold 
himself rather than been sold by another. But 
his debts might be bought and sold, so that it 
amounted to the same thing in the end. Inter- 
est was sometimes as high as ten per cent a 
month, while fifty cents a month was allowed 
for his services. Worcester in his book tells 
of a man who borrowed $1.25, which he and his 



218 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

wife and children worked several years in the 
effort to repay; but by that time the amount 
had become $37.50 ! 

Spain had nominally abolished slavery long 
before, but it had continued in force in both the 
Christian and non-Christian provinces. The 
legislators themselves held peons. The law of 
Congress creating the Philippine Government 
prohibited slavery, but there are no penalties 
attached, so it could not be enforced. 

The Filipinos denied that slavery existed in 
the Islands. Worcester made a careful investi- 
gation, and an exhaustive report on both slavery 
and peonage. All but a few copies of this re- 
port were burned by a Filipino official. It was 
a subject which neither the Filipino politician 
nor their self-styled friends the anti-imperial- 
ists wished to see discussed in print. The 
Manila papers had been absolutely silent on 
the subject, and even the anti-slavery legisla- 
tion which was finally forced through, after 
having been tabled again and again without so 
much as the briefest formality of discussion, 
passed unnoticed. It was a sore subject, and 
the Filipino method of treating a sore subject 
is not to heal it, but to refrain from discus- 
sing it. 

There is no question but we have given the 



Following the Flag 219 

Filipinos too much power for their own good. 
They now, under the Democratic Administra- 
tion, have five members in the Commission, to 
America 's four. They have to-day much power 
— only colonies such as Canada and Australia 
have more, while Egypt has been given less in a 
generation than the Filipinos have received in 
ten years. 

The present governor, Francis Burton Har- 
rison, has been severely criticized. His party 
was pledged to a rapid Filipinization which has 
proved disastrous, for it was devised by men 
wholly ignorant of the situation. The destruc- 
tion of the wonderful civil service system so 
carefully built up in the early days as an object 
lesson to Spanish-bred politicians, is only one 
of many changes which have been brought about. 

We have certainly lost prestige in the Islands 
under the Democratic Administration. Filipi- 
nos no longer remove their hats during the 
playing of the Star Spangled Banner on the Lu- 
neta, so Governor Harrison finally tried to dis- 
continue the playing of the national anthem. 
The American community would not stand this, 
however, so it was resumed. In many other 
ways the Filipinos have become ' ' cocky. ' ' This 
of course does not apply to the tao, who plods 
along regardless of politics. 



220 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands { 

— — ^ h 

A friend wrote me recently, "I don't think I 
could give you a more accurate idea of what 
most Americans and British, and even intelli- 
gent natives, think of this Democratic admin- 
istration than to repeat a conversation I over- 
heard in the Fort McKinley cars one morning 
between two coloured American soldiers. They 
began by laughing at Harrison's 'give them 
what they want' speech, and speaking of the 
Filipinos as 'spoiled children.' 'Well,' said 
one dusky brave, 'we have one more year of 
this rotten administration, then, thank Gawd, 
we'll have a white man's government !' " 

Professor Thomas Lindsey Blayney writes 
in one of the magazines; "I talked with 
business men, native and foreign educators, 
clergymen, army and navy officers, editors 
American and British, and many Filipinos of 
undoubted patriotism and intelligence, and 
I do not hesitate to assure you that the de- 
moralizing tendency of the policies of the pres- 
ent American administration in the Islands is 
deserving of the widest publicity." The sit- 
uation, he says, "is bidding fair to become a 
national disgrace ' if .. we allow politics and 
sentiment to take the place of reason and jus- 
tice." He goes on to say, "There is no phe- 
nomenon of our national life more passing 



Following the Flag 221 

strange than that which induces many of our 
good people to accept the statements of paid 
emissaries of the Filipino junto, or some of our 
new and inexperienced officials at Manila, rather 
than those of our fellow countrymen of long 
administrative experience in the Islands. . . . 
The loss of men like Governor Forbes, Mr. 
Worcester, Dr. Heiser, and others, is looked 
upon as a distinct setback in the development of 
better and more stable institutions in the entire 
Orient in the interest of humanity as a whole/ ' 

All of which only bears out what Lord Cromer 
told Mr. Forbes — "If your personnel employed 
in the administration of dependencies at a dis- 
tance becomes subject to change with changing 
political parties, you are doomed to failure in 
your effort to govern countries overseas.' ' 

There has recently been a great financial de- 
pression in the Islands, due partly to hoarding 
against threatened independence, and partly to 
the difficulty the new Filipino officials of the 
Bureau of Internal Eevenue find in collecting the 
usual amount. A slump in real estate followed 
quickly upon the news that we might shortly 
leave the Islands. Einderpest, the cattle plague 
which had worked such havoc and which had 
finally been conquered after tremendous ex- 
penditure of money and energy, broke out again 



222 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

immediately upon the substitution of Filipinos 
for white men in the service. Some time the 
good people at home will learn that giving a 
child candy because it cries for candy is not al- 
ways the best thing for the child. The Filipinos 
are in many ways children, delightful ones, with 
charming manners, but needing a firm and even 
rule till they come of age and take over their own 
affairs. Most Filipinos of intelligence realize 
this. In fact, they have of late been rushing in 
petitions signed by their best and most influen- 
tial citizens urging the retention of the Islands 
in their present standing. 

What the Filipino wishes for himself depends 
upon the man. Only one in ten, among the 
civilized tribes, knows anything about the dis- 
cussion of independence. The taos would like 
independence if they believe it to be what their 
politicians have told them — freedom to do as 
they please, and exemption from taxes. Other- 
wise they are not interested. 

When the Jones bill was being discussed a 
Moro elevator boy at the War Department in 
Washington was asked, "If the Filipinos are 
given their independence, how will you feel?" 
"I am an American now," he answered, "but 
if that happen — I go back, and with the Moros 
fight the Filipinos !" 



Following the Flag 223 

Most people fail to realize that the Islands 
are no financial bnrden to this country. They 
are, and have always been, wholly self-support- 
ing. Their revenues pay their bills, and their 
taxes, incidentally, are the lowest in the civilized 
world. We keep soldiers there but only the 
cost of their transportation is extra. 

Our rule in the Philippines has been the 
greatest of all paradoxes, a benevolent des- 
potism working ardently for its own destruc- 
tion. This is very unusual, and rather fine. 
We ought to be proud of what we have done, and 
very anxious to see the work well finished. 
Good men have given their lives for it, and few 
of those who lived have come out after years of 
thankless toil in a tropical land, with as much as 
they had when they went into the service. We 
owe it to them and to our helpless wards, as well 
as to our national honour, to see the thing 
through. 




CHAPTER V 

HEALING A NATION 

>HE sanitary conditions which existed in 
the Islands twenty odd years ago would 
seem to us appalling, but perhaps they 
were no worse than those of some other tropical 
countries at that time. Even the most progres- 
sive colonizers, like the English, had given up 
trying radical reforms, contenting themselves 
with making passably healthful conditions, espe- 
cially for the European part of the towns. The 
combination of climate and native inertia 
seemed to them one which it was difficult and al- 
most hopeless to combat. So it remained for 
us to prove that the thing could be done — that a 
tropical country could be made sanitary and 
hygienic for all its inhabitants, whether they 
were white or brown or yellow, and whether they 
wanted it made so or not. If we had done noth- 
ing else for our restless dependency, that 
achievement would be a sufficient crown of glory. 
Manila was then, as it still is, the most highly 
civilized spot in the Islands. As I have said, 

224 



Healing a Nation 225 

much of the walled city was built of stone and 
plaster, but many of the natives in the suburbs 
lived in one-room houses made of wood and 
raised on stilts. No provision whatever was 
made for drainage or for the removal of gar- 
bage. Each house was a law unto itself and 
very often an offense unto its neighbours. 

A large part of the city drained, directly or 
indirectly, into the Pasig Eiver. Here, also, 
the carabao, which is not a fastidious animal, 
went for his mud baths, and the women washed 
their clothes. This river furnished drinking 
water for all who lived near enough to share 
the privilege. It was said to have a flavour like 
the Ganges, which they sorely missed later on 
when a purer supply was substituted. 

The medieval wall, which allowed for many 
damp, unhealthy corners, interfered with munic- 
ipal ventilation. No cleansing winds can sweep 
through a city whose every street ends in a high 
wall. Outside was a stagnant moat which made 
a convenient breeding place for the industrious 
mosquito. 

The local market used to be a community 
dwelling for all the vendors, who lived there, 
reveling in their filth. Their children were born 
there, also their dogs, pigs, cats, and chickens. 
It was so vile smelling that no American dared 



226 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

go into it. Never being cleaned, it was the cen- 
ter from which disease was spread to the city. 

These markets were the first places to be 
cleaned by the Americans. The first step was 
always to burn up the entire shed, and then build 
an iron and concrete structure, which could be 
washed down every night with a hose. Only 
the night watchman was allowed to live there. 

This is only typical of changes made in every 
department, from market to school, from custom 
house to palace. To tell a long story very 
shortly, gaps have been opened in the city walls 
to let in the air, the moat has been filled in with 
soil dredged from the bay to make a field for 
sports, nearby marshes have been reclaimed and 
old wells filled up, while a sewerage system and 
a method of collecting refuse have of course been 
established. The new water system has cut the 
death rate from water-borne diseases in half. 
To stop an epidemic w T hole districts of huts 
which could not be fumigated were burned and 
others were sprayed with strong disinfectants 
by fire engines. Slowly the people are being 
taught the rules of hygiene. The new and up- 
to-date medical school is turning out very good 
doctors, and the school of nursing, most excel- 
lent nurses, who are gentle, cheerful and dainty. 

The modern hospitals were at first regarded 



Healing a Nation 227 

with suspicion by the natives, who went with 
the greatest reluctance for treatment. But to- 
day the difficulty is to keep them out. A tooth- 
ache is excuse enough for a week's sojourn with 
free board. The native doctor often is a skilful 
grafter, and has to be watched, otherwise he may 
pass in all his poor relations, more to give them 
food and rest than for illness. A friend was 
much annoyed while sick in a Manila hospital by 
some Filipina girls in pink and lilac hospital 
gowns who were romping through the corridors. 
I Her nurse explained that they were passed in by 
the native doctor. One of these physicians had 
every bed in his ward filled with patients who 
were not ill but just enjoying themselves. 
Some of these doctors abuse their authority 
in other ways. One of them, it was discovered, 
used to go to San Lazaro, the hospital for con- 
tagious diseases, and take friends who were 
detained there with leprosy to ride in public 
vehicles. 

But aside from occasional abuses by natives, 
the work which has been done for the public 
health in Manila is an example of what has 
been accomplished elsewhere. In many of the 
provincial towns the introduction of artesian 
wells has brought the death rate tumbling down 
to half its former size. The work was carried 



228 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

on under disadvantages at first, for it was the 
butt of much ridicule and abuse — the former 
from abroad, the latter from the native press. 
Medical authorities in other parts of the Far 
East laughed at our efforts to create better con- 
ditions for the Filipinos, and told us that 
Orientals were incapable of sanitary reforms. 
Before long, these same men were seeking to 
learn by what magic we had accomplished what 
they had hardly dared even attempt, and were 
sending delegates to Manila to study our 
methods. 1 

When Americans went there they found the 
Filipinos a race of semi-invalids. Those who 
had managed to survive the various scourges 
which were constantly sweeping the Islands 
were often infected with hookworm or similar 
parasites which sapped their vitality. Many of 
them were tubercular, and most of them were 
under-fed. The laziness which made several 
Filipino workmen equal to one American was 
much of it due to actual physical weakness. As 
a people, they are showing a marked improve- 
ment in energy and activity. It was from 
changes of this sort that the would-be benevolent 
anti-imperialists laboured to save them. 

i Any one who is inclined to regret American rule in the 
Islands is cordially invited to read chapter sixteen in Dean 
Worcester's book, "The Philippines, Past and Present." 



Healing a Nation 229 

Of course, a great deal remains for us to do. 
Half the babies still die before they are a year 
old. Only a beginning has been made in stamp- 
ing out tuberculosis. The people have not yet 
been educated out of that fatalism which makes 
them prefer acceptance of evil to fighting it. 
But as fast as they learn English they come 
under our educative influence more and more. 

Dr. Richard P. Strong, whom we knew when 
we were in the Islands and who is now at the 
Harvard Medical School lecturing on tropical 
diseases, has done many notable things in vari- 
ous parts of the world. We all know about his 
wonderful work in the northern part of China, 
when the pneumonic plague * was raging there 
a few years ago, and still later his heroism 
among the typhus-stricken soldiers of Serbia. 
But we do not all know that, among other things, 
he has discovered a cure for a dreadful skin 
disease called yaws, which has been prevalent 
in the Philippines. A doctor in Bontoc cured a 
case with a single injection of salvarsan. The 

i The cause of the pneumonic plague is so little known 
that it may be interesting to mention it here. The disease, 
it is said, is carried by marmots. It had not broken out 
since the fourteenth century, because Manchu hunters had 
for generations been taught not to kill marmots for this 
very reason. But in late years, with the great demand for 
furs, new hunters who knew nothing of this, killed the diseased 
marmots and so caused an epidemic. 



230 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

"case" was so delighted that he escaped from 
the hospital before a second injection could be 
given him, rushed home to his native village, 
and returned a day or so later with a dozen or 
more of his neighbours who were suffering from 
the same trouble. 

We were fortunate in traveling through the 
Islands with Dr. Heiser, who had entire control 
of the health conditions there for many years — 
in fact, until the Democratic administration. 
To him is largely due the practical disappear- 
ance of smallpox from the Philippines. When 
the Americans took over the country there were 
sometimes over fifty thousand deaths a year 
from this one disease. The change is the direct 
result of the ten million vaccinations which were 
performed by American officials. An effort 
was made to entrust the vaccinating to Filipino 
officials, but epidemics kept breaking out, and it 
was discovered that their work was being done 
chiefly on paper. 

In a recent letter a friend writes, ' ' The other 
day one of our servants, Crispin, was ill. I 
tried to get him to go to the hospital, but he 
insisted he was not sick. I did not enjoy having 
him wait on the table, for I thought he had 
measles. So I took him to the hospital myself 
and told him to do what the doctor said. When 



Healing a Nation 231 

I returned home a telephone call summoned us 
to the hospital to be vaccinated at once, for Cris- 
pin had the smallpox! They sent him to San 
Lazaro, where he had a good time, and came 
home smiling, while we spent a miserable ten 
days waiting to see what was going to happen 
to us. The native saindados came promptly to 
disinfect, but all they did was to put a bucket of 
something in the center of the room. I soon 
saw that they were not going to be thorough, so 
after ten minutes, just as they were going away, 
I called them back and telephoned to the board 
of health, asking if no American sanitary officer 
was coming. They said no, that Filipinos had 
been put in all the white men's places. So I 
went to work myself, burning bedding, clothes 
and hangings, and opening every trunk and 
closet. It was a revelation to those two little 
natives, who thought they had done enough 
before. " 

Apparently the natives had the same aversion 
to the preventive method of vaccination that 
some of our own countryfolk have, for Dr. 
Heiser writes of the early work in the field: 
"Formerly . . . the lives of the vaccinators 
were seriously threatened by persons who re- 
fused to be vaccinated. However, after much 
persuasion, a considerable number of the inhab- 



232 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

itants were vaccinated. Shortly afterwards 
smallpox was introduced and the death rate 
among the nnvaccinated became alarming; the 
people themselves then noted that in spite of 
the fact that the vaccinated persons frequently 
came in constant contact with the disease they 
did not contract it, while the unvaccinated died 
in large numbers. This led to urgent request 
being made for vaccination and the vaccinators 
who previously found their lives in constant 
danger were welcomed.' ' 

But perhaps Dr. Heiser's greatest work has 
been done in freeing the Islands of the worst- 
feared disease of all times and nations — leprosy. 
I was walking along the street with him one day 
when he noticed the swollen ear lobes of a man 
near by. It was one of the first symptoms of 
leprosy. He stopped and spoke to the man and 
walked with him to the hospital. The disease is 
not really so much to be feared as people think, 
for it is seldom inherited and is not easily con- 
tagious. 

We had planned to go to Culion, the beautiful 
island where thousands of lepers have been 
taken to live or to die, and where they have 
every care and comfort that science and un- 
selfish devotion can give them. Unfortunately 
for us, the Secretary of War was obliged to cut 



Healing a Nation 233 

the trip short, owing to official business in 
Manila, so we did not go there. We heard so 
much about the place that this was a real dis- 
appointment. 

The island is a day's sail from Manila. It is 
well forested, and has hills and fertile valleys 
and a fine harbour. The more important build- 
ings of the town which the authorities knew 
would be needed by the thousands of lepers then 
at large, were built from the foundations en- 
tirely of concrete, for sanitary reasons and 
economy. Besides hundreds of houses, one 
finds there to-day a theater, a town hall, a school, 
dining halls, hospitals, stores, docks and ware- 
houses. Water, lighting and sewerage systems 
were also constructed, and a separate settlement 
was built for the non-leprous employees. 

Culion is really a leper's heaven. The people 
have perfect freedom, and live normal lives, 
farming or fishing when they are able, carrying 
on their own government, having their own 
police force, playing in the band if they are 
musical, giving theatrical performances. They 
have social distinctions, too — those better born 
take the place denied them in the outer world 
because of their affliction. Here they are again 
Somebody. 

When Americans took possession of the Is- 



234 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

lands there were six thousand lepers at large. 
Two things evidently had to be done — first, pre- 
vent a further spread of the disease ; and second, 
cure those who already had it, if this were pos- 
sible. 

Segregation of all known cases, as fast as 
accommodations could be provided for them, 
was the immediate necessity. The colony at 
Culion was opened in 1906 with five hundred 
patients. These went reluctantly to their new 
abode, but once settled there, found it so much to 
their liking that they wrote home enthusiasti- 
cally, and after that the authorities had no diffi- 
culty in persuading others to go. Indeed, the 
plight of these poor outcasts had been pitiful 
enough. They were so neglected that in one of 
the larger cities they had been known to go 
into the markets and handle the produce, as a 
protest against their treatment. 

More than eight thousand have been trans- 
ferred to Culion in all, and to-day every known 
leper in the Philippines is there. New cases are 
still occasionally found, but even the worst prov- 
inces are now practically free from the historic 
scourge. It was that remarkable man, Dr. 
Heiser, who not only organized and carried out 
this great undertaking, but who himself saw to 
the smallest details. Many times he is known 



Healing a Nation 235 

to have carried the loathsome patients in his 
own arms. 

The second problem, that of finding a cure, 
was not so easily solved. But it has been found, 
and our nation had the credit of finding it — 
"the first definite cure ever established, ' ' Dr. 
Heiser says. Two methods were tried out very 
carefully, both with some success. The first 
was the x-ray, which brought a marked im- 
provement in most of the cases where it was 
used, and an apparent cure in one case. The 
other method was the use of chaulmoogra oil. 
This remedy had been known and used in the 
Far East for some time, but it could rarely be 
given long enough to produce much effect, be- 
cause it was so unpleasant to swallow. Our 
doctors, however, devised ways of injecting it, 
after mixing it with resorcin and camphorated 
oil, so that there were no ill effects. Already 
several cures have resulted. 

Ten years ago there were forty thousand 
users of opium in the Islands. In five years 
, that number was reduced ninety-five per cent, 
and most of those still addicted to the drug are 
Chinese. In the last few years, moreover, 
cholera and bubonic plague have been practically 
wiped out, but, of course, a few other tropical 
diseases still exist. 



236 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

The Philippine Assembly recently conceived 
the brilliant idea of cutting down expenses by 
halving the health appropriation. Dr. Heiser 
got permission to speak before them, but instead 
of talking a few minutes, as they expected, he 
spoke for three days. He told them that if 
they did not give him the money he needed for 
the work, he would be forced to economize by 
setting free the criminally insane, who, he prom- 
ised, should be given tags stating that they had 
been set free by order of the Assembly. Also, 
he said, he would have to send back many of 
the lepers to their friends. It proved to be the 
way to deal with the child-like legislators, who 
in the end gave him what he wanted. Since 
that, however, he has resigned, and his loss will 
be sadly felt. Indeed, there has already been 
an outbreak of cholera since he left. 

Eegenerative work among the Filipinos has 
by no means been confined to their bodies, how- 
ever, for besides the educational advance that 
has been made in their schools, which I have 
mentioned elsewhere, their prisons have become 
sources of light instead of darkness. It is true 
that penology in the Philippines has gone ahead 
with great strides. 

In Bontoc, for instance, there is a prison 
which the commissioner in charge of the prov- 



Healing a Nation 237 

ince proudly called his ' ' university. ' ' Its in- 
mates are men of the mountains. In the old 
days they would have been sent to Bilibid prison 
in Manila, where few of them lived over two 
years. A longer term meant practically a death 
sentence. This provincial jail is situated in the 
high and healthy capital of the province, and is 
kept clean and sanitary by the prisoners them- 
selves. The men are well fed and cared for, 
and they are taught trades, and made to work at 
them, too, so that they learn industry along with 
technical skill. 

Bilibid prison is a huge institution. It oc- 
cupies several acres of land in the heart of the 
city of Manila, its buildings radiating from a 
common center, so that the guard in the high 
tower at the hub can overlook anything that 
occurs. High walls surround the whole, pa- 
trolled by watchful guards and mounted with 
gatling guns. It is an extraordinary institu- 
tion, inherited from Spanish rule, but, like ev- 
erything else, completely changed since then. 
The wives of men committed there were consid- 
ered widowed in those days, since so few sur- 
vived a long term, and were free to marry again. 
There has been some confusion of late years, 
because most of the prisoners not only come out 
alive , but healthier than when they went in. So 



238 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

prison "widows" who remarried found that 
they had not counted on American methods. 
Bilibid, though in many ways still rather ex- 
perimental, is a great success. 

There are extensive shops, and the prisoners 
are kept at work all the time. Some make sil- 
verware, carriages, and furniture, while others 
do the cooking and washing for. the prison, 
make their clothes, and run a laundry, not only 
for their own use, but for outside custom. 
Many are employed in road building and on 
fortifications. Each man learns a trade dur- 
ing his term of imprisonment, and so is better 
able to earn an honest livelihood than when he 
entered. I have been told that Bilibid "grad- 
uates" are in demand because of their honesty 
and industry. No better recommendation for a 
prison could be desired. 

Besides the shops, there is a school in which 
they are taught English. The day we visited 
the prison we saw a teacher there who had 
been a guest at the Governor's table, but as he 
had forged a check he was paying the penalty. 
Most of the attendants in the up-to-date prison 
hospital were Spaniards who were in for life 
sentences and who made very good nurses. 
Part of this institution is devoted to consump- 
tives, of whom there are so many in the Islands, 



Healing a Nation 239 

and they receive treatment according to the best 
and latest methods. 

We were much interested in the kitchens, and 
the manner in which food was issued to several 
thousands in only six minutes. It was all won- 
derfully systematized. 

Late in the afternoon we went up into the 
central tower to watch the " retreat.' ' The 
prisoners ' band, which had played for us as we 
entered the prison gates, now took its place in 
the courtyard below and began to play. Out of 
the workrooms trooped hundreds of convicts, 
who were searched for hidden implements and 
then released to take their position in military 
formation. The different groups marched to 
their quarters and, standing outside, went 
through a series of exercises to the music of 
the band. They seemed to enjoy this very 
much, and later, still to the music, marched gaily 
off to get their rations. 

A long-term prisoner with two years of good 
conduct to his credit is given the privilege of 
going to the penal colony on the island of Pal- 
awan. This island is one of the more southern 
ones, and is the place where the Spanish sent 
their convicts in the old days. But the present 
colony, which was established by Governor 
Forbes, is very different from the former one. 



240 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

It was once a malarial jungle, but now is a 
healthy, thoroughly up-to-date and successful 
reform institution. 

Our visit to this place was one of the most 
interesting features of our whole trip. Pala- 
wan itself is a curiosity, for it has an under- 
ground river which has been explored for two 
miles beneath a mountain. But the penal set- 
tlement is unique. 

Leaving the steamer at Puerto Princessa, a 
quaint little town with charming old Spanish 
gardens, we were met by a launch which took 
us up the Iwahig Elver to the colony. This 
launch, which was gaily decked with flags, was 
manned by convicts, the engineer himself being 
under a sentence of nineteen years for murder. 
After an hour's sail up the tropical river, we 
reached our destination. At the wharf we were 
greeted by Mr. Lamb, superintendent of the col- 
ony, a Dominican priest, and a crowd of prison- 
ers who were enjoying a holiday. 

We were driven to headquarters, near a 
pretty plaza with hedges and flowers, sur- 
rounded by several two-story barracks built of 
bamboo and nipa, where the prisoners live. As 
we walked about the plaza we visited the hospi- 
tal and the chapel, as well as the main office and 
the superintendent's house. 



Healing a Nation 241 

The penal settlement is located on a reserva- 
tion of two hundred and seventy square miles. 
At the time of our visit there were in all eleven 
hundred convicts — Filipinos for the most part, 
with a few Moros — and only three white men to 
keep them in order. The prisoners had all 
come from Bilibid prison. 

In its management, the colony is somewhat 
like the George Junior Eepublic for boys in 
America. The prisoners elect their own judges 
and make some of their own laws, subject to the 
approval of the superintendent. A majority 
verdict will convict, but the superintendent has 
the right to veto any measures. Men who break 
the laws are locked up, but can be released on 
bail. 

The police force is composed of convicts, of 
course. The chief of police when we were there 
was a murderer who had earned his pardon but 
preferred to remain in the settlement. If a 
prisoner tries to escape he is followed, and oc- 
casionally one is shot. The attempt is seldom 
made, for it is difficult to get away, and the men 
are, moreover, quite content to live there. Once 
thirty-five convicts did make a break for liberty, 
but beyond the confines of the settlement they 
found themselves in the midst of the savage 
Mangyans, by whom some were killed. Of the 



242 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

rest, those who were not captured alive returned 
of their own free will and were consigned again 
to Bilibid, which is considered a great punish- 
ment. 

For good behaviour, convicts may earn the 
right to have a house of their own, with their 
family, one bull or carabao, and a little farm 
to cultivate. There were then a hundred and 
eighty of these farmers, who raised their crops 
on shares, the government receiving half. They 
had to report to headquarters by telephone every 
other day and undergo a weekly inspection as 
well. Every year they were obliged to plant co- 
coanuts, which in a few years were expected to 
bring in large returns. Already great quanti- 
ties of yams were being shipped to Bilibid, and 
in a short time enough cattle would be delivered 
there to supply, in part at least, the meat de- 
mand of that prison. The colony suggests the 
possible solution of the meat question for the 
American army in the Philippines, as they were 
successfully raising calves from native cows by 
Indian bulls. 

Although the majority of the prisoners were 
engaged in farming, they were often given the 
privilege of selecting the kind of work that they 
preferred, and were divided accordingly, their 
hats and the signs on the sleeves of their prison 



Healing a Nation 243 

clothes showing what grade of convict they be- 
longed to and what work they did. They were 
paid in the money of the colony, which was good 
nowhere else. 

There were about forty women on the reser- 
vation. The men might marry if they earned 
the privilege, or if already married, they might 
have their wives and children come to live with 
them. There were six marriages the year we 
were there. After receiving their pardons, they 
could remain on the island if they wished, their 
work being credited toward the purchase of 
their farms, but they had to continue under the 
laws of the colony. 

At the main office we saw four prisoners who 1 
were about to be pardoned. Governor Forbes 
very kindly asked me to hand them their par- 
dons and ask any questions I wished. One, a 
bandolero, or brigand, was small and wizened. 
Another, who looked much like him, when asked 
what crime he had committed, laughed and an- 
swered, "Bigamy!" A third, a stolid, thick- 
set fellow, had the best face of them all, but 
showed no emotion whatever when I gave him 
his pardon. He also had been a brigand. 

The convicts gave an exhibition fire drill for 
us at the barracks. The natives are born 
climbers, and scramble down the poles with the 



244 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

agility of monkeys. They also play baseball, of 
course. They are remarkably musical and have 
a good band. 

We had luncheon with Mr. and Mrs. Lamb in 
their pretty bamboo and nipa cottage. Mrs. 
Lamb was a frail little woman, but strong in 
spirit, for she did not seem at all afraid to live 
in this land of evil men. She told us that the 
three murderers whom she had as servants were 
very efficient, and were devoted to her little 
four-year-old son. 

When our visit ended we were driven in a 
wagon to the river, accompanied by a troop of 
prisoners who ran alongside shouting good- 
bys. At the wharf they lined up while Mr. 
Lamb and the priest bowed us politely aboard 
the launch. 

These intrepid countrymen of ours, who are 
healing and uplifting a whole people, seem to 
me to be true missionaries. The time may come 
when the work which they are doing will set a 
standard for us stay-at-homes to follow, that is, 
if we send the right kind of men out there. As 
the song says, 

"Ah, those were the days when the best men won, 

The survival of those that were fit — 
When the work to be done counted everything", 

And politics nary a bit." 




CHAPTEE VI 

DOG-EATERS AND OTHERS 

'HE natives of the Philippines are Malays, 
as I have said, but they are sometimes 
classified as Christian, Pagan and Mo- 
hammedan Malays. The Christian and edu- 
cated tribes live near the coast on the lowlands 
and are called Filipinos. They have intermar- 
ried greatly with the Spaniards and Chinese. 
There are twenty-seven non-Christian tribes in 
the Islands — about four hundred thousand in 
number in the Mountain Province of Luzon 
alone. These hill people are seldom seen, al- 
though during the last few years most of the 
tribes have come under government influence 
and head-hunting has been more or less given 
up. These dwellers in the mountains include 
the aborigines who were driven out of the val- 
leys by the Malays, and also the Malays of the 
earlier migration, who refused to embrace the 
Mohammedanism of the Moros of the southern 
islands or the Christianity of the Spaniards. 
We were fortunate in having the opportunity 

245 



246 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

to see some of the dog-eaters and other hill 
people. Our party was divided, and while sev- 
eral of the men went into the heart of the head- 
hunting country, the rest of us took the train to 
Baguio, the mountain capital. What a night it 
was! The heat was frightful, and swarms of 
mosquitoes added to the torture. But at sun- 
rise, as I sat on the back platform while the 
train steamed through rows of cocoanut palms, 
past little huts and stations, I was reminded of 
this verse : 

"Mighty, luminous and calm 
Is the country of the palm, 

Crowned with sunset and sunrise, 

Under blue unbroken skies, 
Waving from green zone to zone, 
Over wonders of its own ; 
Trackless, untraversed, unknown, 

Changeless through the centuries." 

Leaving the tropics behind, we climbed up, 
up among the glorious mountains. At last the 
train stopped at a little station, and we took 
the motors that were waiting and went on higher 
and higher into cloudland, where the tall pines 
grew and the mountains rose into the sky. 
We had indeed ascended "into Paradise from 
Purgatory." As one resident in Manila ex- 
pressed it : " The heavenly coolness, the sweet 



Dog-Eaters and Others 247 

pine air and the exquisite scenery give you new 
life after the years spent in the heat, glare, dust 
and smells of the lowlands.' ' 

We were passing over the far-famed Benguet 
Eoad, one of the finest highways in the world, 
which wound in and out through the gorges of 
the mountains, repeatedly crossing the river 
that roared beneath. For twenty miles we zig- 
zagged up the slopes, with widening views of 
great hills opening before us, and cascades 
bursting out from beneath the mountains, till we 
came out on the plateau of Baguio, five thousand 
feet above the sea. 

This road, which has been a favourite theme 
for discussion by politicians, was opened to 
traffic in 1905. It is true that the cost of the 
roadway was beyond what anybody had antici- 
pated, on account of the many bridges that 
had to be repaired each year after the rainy 
season, and also after the destructive typhoons 
that sweep over the island — one in 1911 brought 
a rainfall of forty-six inches in twenty-four 
hours — which hurl avalanches of debris from 
the mountain slopes. For this reason a new 
road from Bauang to Baguio has been com- 
menced, not nearly so direct but requiring only 
a few bridges, and it is to be hoped will prove 
successful and more economical than the other. 



248 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

Baguio, in the midst of glorious moun- 
tain scenery, where the temperature never goes 
above eighty and the nights are deliciously cool, 
really is an ideal health resort for a tropical 
country. The Philippines have Mr. Worcester 
and Mr. Forbes to thank for this blessing. 
Government buildings were erected, and the 
whole force of the government was moved up 
there for the hot season, with the rich return of 
the improved health and greater efficiency of the 
employees. A hospital for tuberculosis was 
built, and a much needed school for American 
children, the Jesuit observatory was estab- 
lished, and Camp John Hay was laid out as a 
permanent military post. Many people bought 
land and put up little bungalows. A teachers' 
camp was started by the Bureau of Education 
for American teachers from all over the Islands, 
where they had not only rest and recreation but 
the mental brushing up of good lectures after 
months in lonely stations. 

When the Democratic Administration began 
its changes in the Philippines, government of- 
fices were ordered to be kept in Manila through- 
out the year, consequently only the higher of- 
ficials were able to go to Baguio, with a result 
patent to every one in the lessened efficiency of 
the force. But within the last two or three 



Dog-Eaters and Others 249 

years, the Filipinos have come to appreciate 
the place, which was a revelation to them. Now 
rich and poor manage to go there, and they 
have taken possession. The benefits of Bagnio 
and the Benguet Koad are felt even in Manila, 
where Americans are beginning to get fresh 
garden peas, snmmer sqnash, wax beans and 
real strawberries ( !). A friend writes, "If the 
time ever comes when we can have real cow's 
milk and cream, then our food will be as good 
as anywhere in the States." 

We had a glorious week at Topside, Governor 
Forbes 's attractive bungalow, and speedily be- 
came as enthusiastic in our praises of Baguio as 
every one else who has ever been there. I rode 
all day long on Black Crook, the most perfect 
polo pony in the world, through the mists and 
the sunlight and into the rainbow shades of the 
setting sun, where the clouds turned the colour 
of cockatoos' wings and the tints of the fish from 
the China Sea. 

"Cloud Maidens that float on forever, 
Dew-sprinkled, fleet bodies, and fair, 
Let us rise from our Sire's loud river, 

Great Ocean, and soar through the air 
To the peaks of pine-covered mountains 

Where the pines hang as tresses of hair." 

I played my first polo game at Baguio on the 



250 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

club grounds. Squash Pie, Calico Pie and 
other delightful names were given to the native 
ponies, which are small but very strong. 

We went to the government stock farm, where 
they are trying experiments in breeding horses. 
They had a native pony there that had been well 
fed and taken care of for some time, in order to 
show the difference between it and the forlorn 
animals that one might see anywhere in the 
towns. The native Spanish pony has greatly 
degenerated. At this farm they had a beautiful 
Arabian stallion and a Morgan stallion from 
Vermont. It is said that the first generation of 
American horses does well in the Philippines, 
but after that the climate and the change in food 
cause them to deteriorate. Besides, they are 
rather too big for mountain cavalry. The Ara- 
bian stallion and the native mare are said to 
breed the best kind of horse for this country. 
Black Scotch cattle and Australian cattle, which 
are raised at the government farm, do well. 
Sheep do not pay, for, to begin with, there is no 
market for the wool. Goats do well, and goats' 
milk is in great demand. The natives use prin- 
cipally the carabao and the native cattle, which 
look like small Jersey cows but are not very 
good. 

Another day, Mrs. Whitmarsh, from Boston, 











■yH' ' ^qaBBKJ Btfecl 






I W vJ^jW 










■ 







IGOROT SCHOOL GIRL WEAVING. 



Dog-Eaters and Others 251 

gave us a tea in a little house hung with orchids 
and Japanese lanterns, and we visited Mr. 
Whitmarsh's gold mine. Some of us went on 
horseback down into the valley to see the tun- 
nels. We washed a pan of ore in the brook and 
found at the bottom little fine gold specks. The 
Benguet Igorots have mined gold for centuries. 

At Baguio we visited missionary and govern- 
ment schools and Camp John Hay, where Cap- 
tain Hilgard gave us a reception. At the gov- 
ernment school the Igorot boys are taught, 
among other things, to make attractive mission 
furniture, while the girls learn to weave, and 
very pretty things they make. These girls wear 
short blue skirts and little jackets, and have 
their hair in two long black braids that hang on 
either side of their faces. A Turkish towel, 
worn as a turban, on which to rest burdens, 
seemed to be the fashion in head gear with them. 
Loads are also carried by the Igorots on their 
backs, hung by straps over the forehead. 

It was an Igorot child in this school who 
wrote the following article upon Mrs. Dickin- 
son's visit at Baguio: 

"It was yesterday morning very early when 
we started from here to the Post Office to meet 
a lady named Mrs. Dickinson. So early we all 
went down the brook to take our bath. After 



252 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

we had taken our bath we had breakfast. I was 
late so Ina scolded me, but I am glad she did it 
so that some day I won't do it again. Then 
we were all line up in two by two. When we 
got up to the Post Office she was not there so 
we waited for her an hour or two. After wait- 
ing for them they arrived suddenly. There 
were some ladies who accompanied Mrs. Dick- 
inson. We were very much pleased to see her 
and she was much pleased too. The first time 
that she came in the Philippine Islands from 
America and she is soprice (surprised). We 
sang three songs and the National Anthem and 
waving our flags on the road. When we fin- 
ished singing they clapped their hands. I gave 
her a bouquet of pink flowers. This we did it 
for our honour of Mrs. Dickinson not because 
she is more kind or lovely lady but because she 
is the wife of Mr. Dickinson. This Secretary 
of War is the leader of those who have authori- 
ties. He is responsible of them. After that 
we came right back. Miss B. came for school. 
We cleaned the schoolroom and the yard so that 
they will be so tidy when they come to see the 
school at three o'clock. We fixed the two 
bridges and we trimmed the road little bit for 
their automobiles to dance on. But they left 
them on the road yonder because they afraid 




IGOROT OUTSIDE HIS HOUSE. 



Dog-Eaters and Others 253 

might the bridges will do them damage. So 
they walked from there to here, and when they 
went back, they walked from here to there again, 
making them a journey." 

Doctor White, the missionary at Bagnio, and 
his sister took me one day to the tombs of the 
Igorots. High on the hills looking toward the 
sea are great natural rocks with cracks in them, 
one of which looked like the Sphinx. Here we 
got off our ponies, tied them, and entered on 
foot a tangled path leading to a cavern. In the 
faint light that sifted through we saw a coffin, 
some baskets and some hats, and farther on, 
concealed and yet overlooking a fine view, were 
more wooden coffins. Some of these had fallen 
apart so that we could see the remains of bones 
and clothes. When an Igorot dies the body is 
usually tied in a sitting position on the top of 
a pole in the house and smoked for several days 
over a fire built underneath it. Meanwhile, the 
family kill and cook all the pigs and carabaos 
and ponies, if the man owned any, and then 
gather around and have what they call a canao, 
or feast. Afterward the bones and skulls of 
the carabaos are hung about the house to show 
their neighbours what a rich man he was. 

Some of us went one day to Mirador, the ty- 
phoon station, on a high hill overlooking the sea. 



254 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

It is in charge of a Jesuit priest, who predicts 
the approach of typhoons and puts up storm 
signals, in this way preventing great loss of life. 
We were shown the instruments, which give 
warning of earthquakes as well as typhoons, 
and given sherry that was fifty years old, de- 
licious cake, and flowers from his garden, and 
we saw his goats climbing up the steep crags. 
He told us with a chuckle that he had traded his 
dog to an Igorot for a cow. 

On Sunday we visited the dog market, but 
alas ! we saw no dogs, as on account of cholera 
in the vicinity, it was forbidden to sell any. A 
few days before we had seen several men lead- 
ing a number of lean and lanky ones along the 
road, and these were all for sale, to be killed 
and eaten. Long-haired canines are not popu- 
lar, the short-haired kind are preferred. 

Vice-Governor Gilbert had a canao, or feast, 
in front of his house one morning. A line of 
partly dressed dog-eaters arrived, bowing as 
they passed. They proved to be the chiefs or 
head men, who had put on what clothes they 
possessed for this occasion. They were brown, 
bare-legged men with gee strings, as they call 
the woven cloth hanging about their waists. 
Some had coats on, but nothing underneath, and 
only an old hat to complete the costume. 



Dog-Eaters and Others 255 

The Benguet Igorots, or dog-eaters, are small 
but strong, and remind one of our American 
Indians. They are peaceful farmers now, but 
in days gone by they fought their neighbours 
on the north, and so lances and shields are still 
to be found among them. ' ' The first American 
civil provincial government established in the 
Philippines was in Benguet, and governmental 
control has been continuously exercised there 
since November 23, 1900. They are gladly 
availing themselves of the opportunity now 
afforded for the education of their children, but 
insist that this education be practical. ' ? 

In order to show the progress that had been 
made in the Philippines, a party of Igorots were 
brought to the St. Louis Exposition. Part of 
the exhibit was a model schoolroom. Visitors 
were amazed at the bright, eager little children, 
and at their keen interest in their lessons. But 
they were even more amazed one day to see 
these same model pupils when a dog suddenly 
barked outside. For the school simply went to 
pieces, the children making for the nearest door. 
The last seen of them, they were in full cry after 
the unfortunate dog. 

Although we found the dog-eaters interest- 
ing, there are other tribes of far greater inter- 
est, such as the Negritos, the warlike Ilongots 



256 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

and the Tingians, as well as the people of the 
Bashee rocks of the north, who are hardly ever 
seen. 

The Negritos are diminutive and uncivilized 
black people who live to-day in a few mountain 
areas. They are the aborigines of the islands 
in this part of the world, and are as primitive 
as the Australian blacks, having no social or 
political organization but that of the family. 
They live in hollow trees or under little lean-tos 
of grass and brush, and subsist principally by 
hunting and fishing, at which they are very ex- 
pert. Their weapons are poisoned arrows and 
the blow gun. The poison, which is made either 
from the leaf of a tree or from decomposed 
meat, is placed in the arrow-head of hollow bone. 
On striking, it injects the poison into the flesh 
as a hypodermic needle would do, quickly re- 
sulting in death. 

The only agricultural implement of the Ne- 
gritos is a pointed stick hardened in the fire. 
To prepare the ground for cultivation, on the 
space they wish to clear they girdle the trees, 
which will soon die. They are then set on fire 
and the ashes distributed over the soil. Later, 
holes are made with the pointed sticks, and 
camotes, sugar-cane and tobacco are planted. 

These people are very timid, and if their 



Dog-Eaters and Others 257 

suspicions are aroused in the slightest manner, 
they immediately disappear into the forest. 
Very little success has attended any effort to 
civilize them. Their religion is nature worship 
with many local divinities and good and bad 
spirits of all sorts. 

They ornament their bodies with scar pat- 
terns, made by cutting the skin with sharp 
pieces of bamboo and then rubbing dirt into the 
wounds. In this respect they are like no other 
tribes in the Islands but resemble the most 
primitive of the native Africans, who also make 
scar patterns. The men often shave the crowns 
of their heads in order, they say, "to let the 
heat out." The Negritos, like the Bagobos of 
the south, sometimes point their front teeth, but 
not by filing them as one might suppose. They 
are chopped off with a bolo. 

Worcester says the Negritos "believe that 
each family must take at least one head per 
year or suffer misfortune in the form of sick- 
ness, wounds, starvation or death." Heads are 
buried in the ground under the "houses" of the 
men who take them. 

In regard to the Tingians of northern Luzon 
I also quote from Worcester, who has given us 
the most reliable account of them: 

"The women of this tribe ornament their 



258 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

arms with a series of bracelets and armlets, 
which often extend from wrist to shoulder. 
They constrict the middle of the forearm dur- 
ing early girlhood and continue to wear tight 
armlets on the constricted portion throughout 
life, so that their forearms become somewhat 
hourglass-shaped, this being considered a mark 
of great beauty in spite of the unsightly swell- 
ing of the wrists which results. . . . 

' ' Their cooking utensils are taken to the river 
and scrubbed with sand after every meal. If a 
wife offers her husband dirty or soggy rice to 
eat, the offense is said to afford ground for di- 
vorce. . . . 

1 ' When a man dies, whether his death be nat- 
ural or due to violence, the other members of 
his family repair by night to some village of 
their enemies, cut pieces from their turbans, 
and throw them down on the ground. This is 
interpreted as an intimation that they will 
return and take heads sometime within six 
months, and they believe that the dead man 
knows no peace until this is done." 

The Ilongots, who live in the province of 
Nueva Viscaya, are especially wild and great 
head-hunters. They are striking figures in 
their deerskin rain-coats. No young man can 
take to himself a bride until he has brought 




ILOXOOT IX RAIX-COAT AXD HAT OF DEERSKIX. 



Dog-Eaters and Others 259 

back a head to prove his prowess. The favour- 
ite time for these gruesome excursions of the 
tribe is when the blossoms of the fire tree show 
their red beacons on the mountain sides. As an 
especial mark of beauty and valour, because a 
good deal of pain has to be endured in the proc- 
ess, the men cut off the upper front teeth on a 
line with the gums. 

Woe betide the man who rides a white horse 
into the Ilongot country, for above all things 
white hair is desired, and unless he stands guard 
over it, he will find its mane missing and its tail 
cropped to the skin. 

Most of the mountain people still retain their 
ancient myths and traditions. Even among 
these Ilongots there are tales of the long ago 
when they came across a ' ' great water ' ' to their 
present abode. This, of course, merely ex- 
plains the general migration of the Malay 
tribes. By the way, this Malay migration is 
still in progress, and is exemplified by the 
Samal boatmen who come from Borneo and 
further south in Malaysia to the southern Phil- 
ippines. 

All the wild people have customs of their own, 
which distinguish them, especially the manner 
in which they cut their hair and wear their loin 
cloths. They have slightly different methods 



260 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

of fighting, some fighting singly with a kind of 
sword, others in pairs with spears and arrows, 
while the sword is used only to decapitate the 
fallen enemy. Others display considerable abil- 
ity in organization and operate large bands, 
under especially designated chiefs. All are 
very fond of dancing and have different dances 
to represent war, love and the chase. 

They have their own explanations for every- 
thing, and their stories about the creation of the 
various birds and animals are quite interesting 
and not unlike those found among some tribes 
of aborigines in North America. One of them 
relates that one day the Creator was making 
the different birds. Before him lay bodies, 
wings, necks, heads and feet. He would begin 
with the body and build it up with appropriate 
parts, so that it could apply itself to the pur- 
pose for which it was intended. In every case, 
the Creator was particular not to put on the 
wings before the bird was complete, for fear 
that it would take flight in an imperfect condi- 
tion. One day while he was engaged in mak- 
ing an especially fine specimen of the feathered 
world, the evil spirit approached and engaged 
the Good Spirit in conversation. Ordinarily 
he would have attacked the Evil One and 



Dog-Eaters and Others 261 

quickly put him to flight, but as the bird was 
nearly finished and already imbued with the 
spark of life he wished to complete him. But 
the Creator's anger that the Evil One should 
overlook his work, became so great that, with- 
out thinking, he put on the wings before the 
legs had been fitted. Instantly the bird flew 
off. In haste the Creator grabbed the first pair 
of legs he could lay his hands on and threw them 
at it. They attached themselves exactly where 
they struck the bird, near the tail. This is the 
reason, so the story goes, that the loon's legs 
are so far back that he cannot walk in an up- 
right position on land. His peculiarly sad cry 
is a lament because he must stay in the water 
practically all the time and cannot enjoy him- 
self on land as other good birds do. 

Many of the people who live along the foot 
of the mountain ranges, although Christian- 
ized sufficiently to contribute to the Eoman 
Catholic churches, still retain many of their 
aboriginal customs, especially those pertaining 
to marriage, birth and death. 

Beyond the shores of Luzon, stretching north- 
ward for nearly two hundred miles, is an inter- 
esting archipelago of diminutive islands known 
as the Bashee Rocks, the Batan and the Babu- 



262 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

yan Islands. 1 The natives still retain many of 
the characteristics which were observed by 
Dampier in his visit to these islands in the 
seventeenth century. 

The inhabitants of the Batan group are like 
those living on the Japanese island of Botel To- 
bago, which is only sixty miles north of our most 
northern possession. 2 No missionaries or other 
persons had been allowed by the natives to land 
on their shores until a few Japanese police ar- 
rived in 1909. They are mentioned in passing 
because they are a present-day example of what 
the people in the northern islands of the Phil- 
ippine group were before the coming of the 
white men and the friars. Their dwellings are 
very peculiar. Each family has a stone-paved 

iThe name "Bashee," originally applied to the Batan 
Islands, was derived from an intoxicating drink of that name 
made from sugar-cane and berries. It is still used very lib- 
erally, especially on all festal occasions. When Dampier's 
ships first touched these shores the Bashee was highly re- 
garded by these ancient mariners. 

2 Although we think of Japanese territory as far away 
from ours, here it approaches within sixty miles, as I have 
said, and within twenty-four miles of Guam the Japanese 
have lately occupied the former German islands of the 
Mariana group. In Bering Straits we are within three miles 
of Russian territory. There are two islands, the Diomedes, 
in the center of the strait, one of which is owned by Russia 
and the other by the United States. We usually consider 
both Japan and Russia very far off, but their possessions 
are in fact almost as near ours as Canada and Mexico. 



Dog-Eaters and Others 263 

court surrounded by a low wall of stone. 
Within this enclosure they have three houses: 
one with its sides sunk down into the ground, 
in order to give protection from high winds ; one 
with ordinary walls for use during normal 
weather; and a third built on poles about ten 
feet above the ground for use during the hot 
season. From these elevated houses a constant 
watch is maintained for schools of fish. The 
people are expert fishermen and make excellent 
nets, and they have beautiful boats with high 
bows and sterns. 

In Dampier's day the people were friendly 
and hospitable, as they are at the present time. 
They valued iron more than gold, and gladly ex- 
changed it for iron. The ancient diggings are 
still to be seen, but the "pay dirt" is of such a 
low grade that it is not worth while to work it. 
The precious metal is washed out by the natives 
in cocoanut shells, which take the place of our 
prospectors' "gold pan." Many gold orna- 
ments of attractive design are still to be found 
in these islands. Some of those taken from 
graves remind one strongly of Chaldean work. 

The graves of the ancient inhabitants were 
placed high upon the mountains, some near the 
smoking craters of the volcanoes, others on the 
crests of the non-volcanic hills. It is supposed 



264 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

that the graves near the smoking craters were 
those of persons who had a bad reputation in 
the community, while those on the tops of the 
ridges contained the bodies of the good, and 
that by this method of burial the ideas of 
heaven and hell w r ere carried out in a prac- 
tical manner. The bodies were placed in ollas, 
or earthenware jars, some of which had a 
high glaze and were profusely ornamented. 
The corpse was inserted into the jar in a sitting 
position, and the orifice was sealed by placing 
an inverted olla over the mouth of the first. 
These jars were then placed on end and a small 
pyramid of stones built around them, on the 
top of which a little tree was planted. A num- 
ber of these graves ranged around the edge of 
a smoking sulphur crater are an uncanny sight, 
which the natives take good care to avoid. 

The women of the Batan Islands, when walk- 
ing or working out of doors, wear a distinctive 
headdress, consisting of a long grass hood, 
which stretches from the forehead to below the 
hips. It protects the head and back from 
the sun, wind and rain, so that it is worn at all 
times and in all seasons. It is one of the most 
original and useful of all primitive garments. 

During the dry season but little rain falls in 
these islands, and as there are few streams or 




WOMAX OF THE BATAX ISLAXDS WITH GRASS HOOD. 



Dog-Eaters and Others 265 

springs, every means is employed to catch the 
least drop. Even the trees in the yards have 
pieces of rattan twisted around their trunks and 
larger branches, to make the water drop off into 
earthen jars. 

During the autumn migration of hawks and 
eagles from the north, men are stationed on the 
thatched roofs of the high dwellings to seize the 
birds by the feet as soon as they alight. Great 
numbers are caught in this manner every year 
and form quite an element of the food supply. 

Many of the islands are excellent places for 
the production of cattle. Itbayat Island, 
unique because its shores are higher than the 
interior, has many thousand head of excellent 
cattle. The coast is so precipitous that when 
they are exported they have to be lowered to 
the water's edge by means of a block and tackle, 
as at Tangier. They then have to swim out to 
the waiting ship, where they are hoisted by their 
horns to the deck. 

Another of the cattle islands is called Dalu- 
piri. This beautiful spot was given in its en- 
tirety to Aldecoa and Company of Manila by 
the Spanish government. In fact, when the 
United States first took possession of the Phil- 
ippines, this company claimed sovereignty over 
the island, but this, of course, was not recog- 



266 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

nized by the United States Government. The 
cattle that are pastured here are a cross be- 
tween the black Spanish bulls of righting lineage 
and the humped cattle of India. Great care is 
taken that the stock be well kept up, and for this 
purpose there is a constant weeding out of un- 
desirables. The method in which this is done 
is both interesting and very exciting. The cat- 
tle roam at will and are very wild and hard to 
approach; as a result they have to be hunted 
with great care. About twenty men are em- 
ployed in their capture, all of whom are mounted 
on hardy little horses. Four of them are las- 
soers and the rest huntsmen. The lassos are 
nooses attached to the ends of bamboo poles 
about twelve feet long. The rope from the 
noose, to the length of about twenty-five feet, is 
coiled around the bamboo pole and tied to it 
four feet from the lower end. When the lasso 
is thrown over an animal's head the pole is 
dropped by the rider, the rope unwinds and 
drags the pole along the ground, until it catches 
on a rock or a bush and stops the mad career of 
the animal. 

"We started out early one morning," Major 
Mitchell writes me, "to cut several young bulls 
out of a herd of about five hundred cattle. Led 
by the manager of the island, we galloped over 



Dog-Eaters and Others 267 

the rough surface of the coral-bound hilltops 
and through deep, waving grass until one of the 
huntsmen signaled that the herd was in sight. 
A careful inspection was made of the herd 
with a telescope, and the animals for capture 
were selected and carefully pointed out to the 
lassoers, who immediately took up their posts 
in concealment beside a little plain. The hunts- 
men then proceeded under cover to points 
around the herd which would enable them to 
drive the cattle on to the little plain where the 
lassoers could get in their work. After a wait 
of about a half hour, the horn of the chief hunts- 
man pealed forth and was answered by the yells 
of his companions ; the herd, unable to go in an- 
other direction, dashed for the little plain, fol- 
lowed by its pursuers. Crouching behind some 
low bushes the lassoers waited until the cattle, 
now in full stampede, had come within fifty 
yards, when in a twinkling they dashed into the 
midst of the galloping herd. 

"After a terrific race one lasso held true on a 
fine young bull, while the rest scampered off into 
the ravines and water courses. The dragging 
bamboo pole soon brought him to a stop, and 
after several charges at his captors, two more 
lassos were placed on him, and he was securely 
fastened and dragged to a tree, against which 



268 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

his head was tied. A little saw was produced 
from somewhere, and his gallant horns were cut 
off short. An old, sedate carabao, who seemed 
to be perfectly at home, made his appearance, 
the young bull was tied to the carabao 's harness 
and towed off toward the corral. At first he 
tried frantically to gore the carabao, but as his 
horns had been removed no harm resulted. The 
carabao did not mind it in the least but con- 
tinued tranquilly on his way. Three more bulls 
were captured on that day; each furnished ex- 
ceedingly fast and interesting sport. I have 
seen mounted work of a great many kinds, such 
as pig sticking, stag hunting, and hunting of 
many kinds of game, including our own fox 
hunting and polo, but never have I seen any 
mounted work which required more dash, nerve, 
good judgment and endurance than that dis- 
played by these herdsmen of the northern is- 
lands.' ' 

Although these islands are bounded on the 
north by the Balintan Channel, through which 
some of the shipping passes from America to 
the southern part of China, they are seldom 
visited. This is because, as I have said before, 
there are no ports, not even good anchorages. 
During the typhoon season they are exposed to 
the full force of these great hurricanes, while 



Dog-Eaters and Others 269 

the waters are infested with hidden rocks and 
coral ledges. The U. S. cruiser Charleston ran 
aground on a coral reef east of the island of 
Camaguin in 1900 and sank immediately. Dur- 
ing the Eusso- Japanese war the fleet of the Eus- 
sian Admiral Eojesvenski passed on either side 
of Batan Island. The Japanese had observers 
on the summit of Mt. Iraya on this island, who 
are supposed to have signaled by heliograph to 
Mt. Morrison in Formosa of the coming of the 
fleet. The great armada could be seen from 
this mountain for more than one hundred miles. 




CHAPTEE VII 

AMONG THE HEAD-HUNTERS 

(HEN the Americans first came to the 
Philippines, most of the mountain coun- 
try could be reached only on foot over 
dangerous trails. Very large tracts were un- 
explored, and the head-hunting tribes, who are 
found nowhere but in this northern part of Lu- 
zon, pillaged the neighbouring towns. A state 
of order has now been established, except in 
parts of Kalinga and Apayao. 

The Mountain Province, the home of the head- 
hunters, includes the sub-provinces of Benguet, 
Lepanto, Amburayan, Bontoc, Ifugao, Kalinga 
and Apayao. The officers of the provinces are 
a governor, a secretary-treasurer, a supervisor 
in charge of the road and trail work and the 
construction of public buildings, and seven lieu- 
tenant governors. All these officers are ap- 
pointed by the governor general. They live on 
horseback, undergo great hardships and also 
take great risks. 

The manners and customs of these head-hunt- 

270 



Among the Head-Hunters 271 

ing tribes differ somewhat. Each one, for in- 
stance, has a different mode of treating the 
captured head when it is brought in, but all 
celebrate a successful hunt with a canao, or 
festival. The Ifugaos place the head upon a 
stake and hold weird ceremonial dances around 
it, followed by speech making and the drinking 
of bubud, as they call their wine ; afterward the 
skull of the victim is utilized as a household 
ornament. Venison and chicken are served at 
such feasts and the large fruit-eating bats, which 
are considered delicacies. If one of the tribe 
has been so unfortunate as to have his head 
taken, they berate the spirit at the funeral, ' ' ask- 
ing him why he had been careless enough to get 
himself killed. ' ' 

The most picturesque of the head-hunting 
tribes that my husband saw were the Kalingas, 
who are different from all other natives of 
Luzon. It is said that the Spaniards took 
fifteen hundred Moros into this part of the coun- 
try more than a hundred years ago, so they may 
have founded this tribe. At all events, the 
Kalingas are superbly developed, tall and slight, 
some of the men having handsome and almost 
classical features. 

Neither the men nor the women cut the hair, 
which, in the case of the men, is banged in 



272 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

front and tied up with rags behind, some wear- 
ing nets to keep it out of their eyes. Al- 
though the women have abundant hair they 
use " switches,' " into which they stick beautiful 
feathers. The men also decorate themselves in 
the same way. On the back of the head they 
often wear little caps woven of beautifully 
stained rattan and covered with agate beads, 
and these are used as pockets in which small 
articles are carried. Great holes are pierced 
in the lobes of their ears, into which are thrust 
wooden ear plugs, with tufts of red and yellow 
worsted. Almost every Kalinga woman wears 
a pair of heavy brass ear ornaments and some- 
times a solid piece of mother-of-pearl cut like 
a figure eight. 

The Kalingas are particularly warlike, their 
very name meaning ' 'enemy" or " stranger," 
and endeavours to bring them under govern- 
ment control were begun only a few years ago. 
There are still some rancherias which the lieu- 
tenant governor has not yet visited, as it seemed 
best to wait and bring the people to terms by 
peaceful means. 

While we were enjoying ourselves at Baguio, 
the Secretary of War, Governor Forbes, Secre- 
tary Worcester, General Edwards, and my hus- 
band started north into the mountains to see 



Among the Head-Hunters 273 

some of the strange tribes that were gathering 
from far and wide to meet the great Apo, or 
chief, as they called Secretary Dickinson. I 
give the account of the trip in my husband's 
own words: 

On Saturday night, July 31st, after the As- 
sembly baile, we motored to the docks and went 
aboard the transport Crook for the trip north- 
ward. We were made very comfortable on 
this big transport, with deck cabins, but we 
all slept on the open deck by preference and 
had a pleasant run till in the morning we were 
entering Subig Bay, a splendid vast harbour 
between great mountains, the narrow entrance 
guarded by Isola Grande. Here we landed and 
visited the batteries, and although it was a small 
island it was a stewing hot walk about it — espe- 
cially as the Secretary sets a great pace — till a 
torrential shower came up and drove us to the 
commanding officer's house, where we had a 
bite of breakfast — and all the breakfasts at the 
posts which we have visited have been so good ! 

General Duvall had come up from Manila on 
his yacht Aguila, and on board of her we 
crossed the bay to Olongapo, where there is the 
present naval station. The great hulk of the 
famous floating dock Dewey was looming up 
there, just floated again after her mysterious 



274 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

sinking which, even now, they do not seem to 
be able to explain. 

The guard was out with the band, and the 
honours were paid and the marines paraded, 
but soon another severe tropical storm broke, 
and drove some of us back to the ship while the 
others went on to another breakfast at the 
Officers ' Club. This storm suggested a typhoon, 
but there had been no warning from the Jesuit 
observatory at Manila, and so we rejoined the 
Crook out by Isola Grande and went to sea with- 
out fear. 

This is the rainy and typhoon season but the 
warnings of severe storms are so carefully 
given that they have lost their terrors now- 
a-days; and this year, so far, there hasn't been 
a disturbance, much to our comfort, as it has 
permitted the carrying out of all our plans. 
It is a most unusual thing for such good weather 
to continue. The hot season is over, and this 
is called the intermediate, but it is the time of 
rains on this coast, the seasons differing slightly 
on the different coasts and in the different 
islands. So all that night we cruised up the 
coast through showers of rain and lightning, 
passing by Bolinao Light, which we had first 
sighted as we approached the Philippines. 

Before daylight we stopped off Tagudin, and 



Among the Head-Hunters 275 

through the darkness could be seen the dim 
shadow of land and mountains, and a light burn- 
ing on the beach as a beacon. With dawn we 
saw a wonderful tropical shore develop before 
us, of low land fringed with palm, surrounded 
by beautiful mountain ranges, a tiny village on 
the beach, and a crowd of people gathered to- 
gether. Soon a surf-boat put out and brought 
aboard the governors of the nearby provinces — 
Early and Gallman, brave, ready men, who have 
taken these wild people in hand and become 
demi-gods among them — and after a bite of 
breakfast we were all taken ashore through the 
surf, very handily, and the Secretary was wel- 
comed by a native band and the chief men of 
the neighbourhood and crowds of half naked 
natives. 

The Ilocanos of the northwest coast of Luzon 
are a fine, kindly race, but there had also come 
down from the interior a lot of small brown 
men to pack in our baggage, Bontoc Igorots, 
head-hunters and dog-eaters, of whom we were 
to see more in their own country. These little 
fellows at first seemed like dwarfs; but soon 
after, as we saw them better, they proved small 
but well formed and well nourished, strong, gen- 
tle little people. They ran forward and seized 
our packages and disappeared down the trail in 



276 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

a wild, willing manner. Off they trotted while 
we were packed into carromatos, dragged by 
weedy, diminutive native horses, which are 
wonderfully powerful for their size. We 
went, after greeting the people, off down 
the trail, through the outskirts of Tagudin (we 
didn't go into the town, which was somewhat to 
one side, as there had been some cholera there), 
with its nipa houses of plaited grass, perched 
up above the ground, many decorated in honour 
of the occasion. We rattled along an excellent 
road (for we have certainly done wonders in 
road-building here), past paddy fields, where 
the slow carabao grazed with little children 
perched on their backs, past troops of natives, 
with their loads, standing alongside. 

Governor General Forbes had made the most 
wonderful preparations for the trip. It was the 
first time that any American officials (only Insu- 
lar officials previously) had gone in to these wild 
people, and of course the Secretary is the high- 
est in rank that can visit the Islands since he 
is the one through whom the President governs 
the Philippines and the President can never 
come. The trip was unique and all the arrange- 
ments were extraordinary. For a new trail had 
been planned into the mountains but was not 
due to be done for eight months, and yet thou- 






Among the Head-Hunters 277 

sands of these wild men had been called in and 
helped to finish the road so much the more 
quickly (for we were the first party to pass 
over it, and some of the bridges had only been 
finished the night before we passed), eagerly 
and willingly, when they were told that the 
great Apo was coming in to visit them. Forbes 
had sent to Hongkong for some rick'shaws and 
had had men trained to pull and push them, 
but these had not stood the test well and we 
didn't have the need or the chance to use them; 
he also had had palanquin chairs brought over 
from China and men taught in a way to carry 
them, and these we did use on some of the steep 
descents. But we rode horses, excellent ones, 
from Forbes's own stable, almost all the way. 
Every three kilometers, companies of Igorots 
and Ifugaos were stationed to act as car g adores 
and rush along the baggage by relays, and this 
they did with shouts and cheers as quickly as 
we traveled. Tiffin and breakfasts had been 
prepared all along the way. Every eventuality 
had been anticipated, and it was really too well 
done, for it made our traveling seem so easy 
that we had to think hard to realize into what 
out-of-the-way places we were going. A few 
days before it would have been necessary to 
work our way over the perpendicular old trails, 



278 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

with difficulty finding bearers for our packs, 
and we would have been compelled to carry our 
own food, a severe trip and a hard under- 
taking. We went in absolutely unarmed and 
without escort, and yet nearly every native that 
we saw, after we reached the hills, carried his 
spear and head ax; but there wasn't a sugges- 
tion of danger. People were brought together 
on this occasion from different tribes who two 
years ago would have killed each other at sight, 
and yet to-day were dancing with each other. 

We were accompanied by the governors of 
the sub-provinces as we passed through them, 
and an unarmed orderly and Sergeant Doyle, 
who had charge of Governor Forbes's horses, 
and generally by a shouting horde of natives. 
The Secretary proved a wonder ; well mounted, 
as he was, he led on at a great pace, till it 
seemed a sort of endurance test. I was more 
than pleased to find that I stood it as I did, for 
we traveled four days out of the five for forty 
miles a day, and rode most of it a-horseback. 
I came out finally in much better form than when 
I went in. 

And so, from the beach where we landed, the 
carromatos carried us across the low coast 
plain, over new bridges on which the inscrip- 
tions stated that they had been finished for the 






Among the Head-Hunters 279 

passage of the Secretary and bis party, and 
under triumphal arches made of bamboo which 
welcomed him; all the natives whom we passed 
saluted, and many wished to shake hands 
or only touch the hand as we passed, till we 
came into the foothills, and over them into a 
little village of nipa huts among the bamboo 
and tropical trees, where we found our horses 
waiting. Here we mounted and started off at 
a good pace over the well built road that trailed 
around cliff and crag as we worked into the 
mountains, a procession, a cavalcade, winding 
in and out. We traveled along the valley of a 
river, that later became a gorge with steep cliffs 
and precipitous sides; all the natives were out 
to greet the Secretary; and finally we came to 
a tiny village where we had a drink of refresh- 
ing cocoanut water, all the people standing 
about or hanging out of the windows of the sim- 
ple houses, which looked very clean and neat. 
We trailed on along the narrow road, cut into 
the rock in many places, really a remarkable 
road, and up the gorge with the rushing river 
below us. The mountains rose high and opened 
up in lovely velvety greens, and shaded away 
into the blues of distance. We stopped at a lit- 
tle native rest house, above a ford in the river, 
where we found a luncheon prepared for us, but 



280 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

it was a hurried luncheon, and on we went climb- 
ing a winding trail that zigzagged up the steep 
mountainside, through tropical tangle of bam- 
boo and fern and great overhanging trees with 
trailing parasites — the ghost tree, the hard 
woods, and some with a beautiful mauve flower 
at the top that even Mr. Worcester couldn't tell 
me the name of (he said he had been so busy 
inventing names for the birds that he hadn't 
had time yet to find names for trees). And be- 
low the views opened up wider and more splen- 
did, and range on range of mountains rose above 
each other, while the precipices grew deeper and 
more terrifying. 

And suddenly, as we came to a turn in the 
trail, there appeared above us a most pic- 
turesque sight against the skyline, some Ifugao 
warriors, lithe, beautifully formed men, whose 
small size was lost in their symmetry, with 
spears in their hands, turbans of blue wrapped 
about their heads, and loin cloths of blue with 
touches of red and yellow in their streaming 
ends that hung like an apron before and like a 
tail behind; their handsome brown bodies like 
mahogany. They had belts made of round 
shells from which hung their bolos. These were 
the head men of a company of Ifugaos who had 
come this far to greet the party and they stood 



Among the Head-Hunters 281 

so gracefully on the point above us ; and around 
the turn we found the rest of the band, stunning 
looking fellows, standing at attention in line 
behind their lances, which were stuck in a row 
in the ground. Here we had another tiffin, while 
these warriors seized and scampered off with 
our luggage. 

From this time on, as we traveled, we found 
reliefs of these picturesque people, waiting their 
turn at carrying, and then all would join in 
the procession, and shouting a cheer like Amer- 
ican collegians, their war cry, they would rush 
on and frighten us to death with the risk of 
going over the steep places. Away off in the 
distance, reechoing through the valleys, we 
could hear the cheers and cries, very musical, 
of others of our party as they traveled along. 
Soon we began to be greeted by the tom-toms 
of natives who had come out to honour the Sec- 
retary, and by their singing as we approached, 
and then they would dance round in a strange 
way as we passed on. 

The Ifugaos had come to meet the Secretary 
from several days' journey away, mostly 
through Bontoc Igorot country, all armed, and 
yet there hadn't been a sign of trouble. And 
these Ifugaos, who two years ago were wild 
head-hunters, have been brought into wonderful 



282 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

control by their governor, Gallman. There are 
some one hundred and twenty thousand of these 
picturesque people, among whom head-hunting 
is now nearly stamped out; though there are 
sporadic cases doubtless. These little savages, 
too, appear most gentle and tractable, most will- 
ing and laughing, in the rough tumbling of the 
trail; and they have proved very clever, for 
they were the builders of the roads over which 
we traveled (we were told that they could drill 
rock better than Americans, on a few months' 
practice, and that they have sat for a few days 
and watched Japanese bricklayers set brick, 
and then done it as well as the Japanese). But 
indeed their sementeras — their paddy fields — 
their terracing, which they have practised for 
hundreds of years, is the most wonderful in 
the world, and there is nothing even in Japan 
to compare with their work of this kind. Their 
great game of head-hunting has taught them 
cleverness, and they are full of snap and 
go. 

The Ifugao is a great talker and has all the 
gestures of an orator. When he begins a speech 
he first gives a long call to attract attention, 
then climbs a stand fifteen feet high by means 
of a ladder. He generally begins his remarks 
by stating that he is a very rich man, and goes 



Among the Head-Hunters 283 

on to praise himself and his tribe, and at the 
end of his harangue he often himself leads off 
in the applause by loudly clapping his hands. 
He has become a fine rifleman and is a fearless 
fighter. In clout, coat and cap, and a belt of 
ammunition, with legs bare, he travels incredible 
distances and makes a good constabulary sol- 
dier. The Governor General is anxious to form 
them into a militia, but they lose their grip, we 
were told, when they are taken down from the 
hills to the plain. 

And so we went on up to over four thousand 
feet, to where the pass broke through the moun- 
tain, and there before us was a vast valley 
with a splendid plain beyond, and in the middle 
of it, on a prominence, we could see Cervantes, 
where we were to stop our first night. It 
seemed so near and yet proved many miles 
away as we traced our way down the steep 
coasts of the valley and the view of the plain 
below widened and the ranges of mountains be- 
yond rose into finer heights. We twisted and 
trailed zigzag down the pine-clad slopes, for 
the change of vegetation (due to the mountain 
range, which divided a different climate on 
either side of it) in passing over the ridge had 
been remarkable, and though we had seen rare 
orchids and begonias as we mounted, we de- 



284 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

scended from the same height through pine and 
pasture. 

When finally we reached the plateau and had 
crossed a river bed we were met by the people 
of the village of Cervantes — many girls in gay 
dress riding astride on their midget ponies, and 
men and boys on their rugged little mounts. 
These escorted the party under the triumphal 
arches into the grass streets of the pretty vil- 
lage, where the simple public buildings were 
decorated, and the local band played, till we 
finally were taken to the houses where we were 
to spend the night, the Secretary and the Gov- 
ernor and Clark and myself going to the Lieu- 
tenant Governor's. He was married to a Fili- 
pina wife. And here I must say that we met 
several of these Filipina wives of white men, and 
they had most perfect manners and self pos- 
session and real grace (and this one was a good 
cook). The house was a best class native house 
and more comfortable than we had anticipated, 
though there were sounds and smells that 
rather disturbed us. There was a reception 
and baile at the municipal building in the 
evening, where we had to go and dance a rigo- 
don, each partnered off with some dainty little 
Filipina lady. And then we did hurry home to 
rest, for we had been up since half after four 



Among the Head-Hunters 285 

that morning and were to start next morning 
a little after five. 

The next day's trail was very fine, for we 
started off over a river which we crossed on a 
flying bridge, a swinging car on a cable, while 
the horses were forded ; and then we had splen- 
did but slow climbing up the gorge of one river 
after another, coasting the mountainside, where 
we could see the mark of the trail many miles 
ahead above us and part of our procession trail- 
ing along in single file or rushing along with 
distant shout, as the little willing native car- 
gadores carried their loads up and up. Above 
us rose Mount Data, with its mysterious water- 
fall that seems to come right out of its peak, 
and clouds circled about us, and below the val- 
leys streaked away into the distance and the 
ranges rose higher and higher, and the play 
of light and shadow was beautiful on the greens 
and grays and browns and blues of the dis- 
tances. We began to see rancherias, the native 
villages, perched up on the hills, the thatched 
roofs like haystacks, with blue smoke at times 
coming through; and paddy fields began to 
climb the upper valleys in their terraces, with 
the pale green rice, and fringes of the banana 
palm of which the hemp is made. In places the 
red croton was planted on the terraces for luck, 



286 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

and in the ravines which we crossed there were 
cascading falls and pools. 

We rose higher and higher over another 
range, and at the tip-top of the trail another 
group of Igorots were dancing and playing 
their tom-toms as we passed, and rushed along- 
side to touch fingers. Soon we passed through 
a village built in a stony gorge where a river 
ran down. The houses consisted of conical 
thatched roofs supported on four wooden piers 
with ladders leading up into the roofs where the 
people lived. The foundations were terraced 
in stone and the paths were stone-terrace, and 
it all looked very neat and clean. On our way 
back we stopped for tiffin at this same village 
and had the women come and show us how they 
weave, for it was a place famed for its weav- 
ing. This time our tiffin was farther on, at a 
rest-house with a splendid view, and it had been 
laid out so prettily with temporary flower beds 
and bamboo arches. The Belgian priest from 
a town nearby had come to join us at lunch- 
eon, and although he spoke no English I had 
a pleasant time with him in French, for he 
proved to be a sort of relative of our cousins 
the de Buisserets; his name was Padre Sepul- 
chre, one of a band of Belgians belonging to 
no order but educated highly for missionary 



Among the Head-Hunters 287 

priesthood, who have been sent out, since our 
occupation, by the Pope, and many of whom 
are rich and gentlemen born. This one had 
already in two years spent some twenty thou- 
sand dollars gold of his own money in his town. 
Another such missionary we met at Bontoc, and 
several at other places, and all are said to do 
good work. 

We started off after tiffin on the long trail 
that wound down the gorge of El Chico de 
Cagayan Eiver, on our way to Bontoc. Vil- 
lages became more numerous and were very 
picturesque, on the spurs of mountain above 
the river, or embowered in coffee trees, where 
the mountain coasts were patched with pine- 
apple plantations. And the paddy fields grew in 
terrace after terrace, most splendid engineering 
by these primitive people, rising above each 
other up into the clouds, fitting into the contours 
of the mountainsides, the terrace walls over- 
grown with green, and the pale green paddy 
within, and little cascades carrying the water 
down from terrace to terrace, most lovely, like 
some great hanging gardens ; little brown people 
were stooping at work in them, all naked, but 
with their clothes covered by leaves and bal- 
anced on their heads, to be kept dry ; for there 
were showers and cloud effects that added to the 



288 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

beauty of the panorama as we passed. The ter- 
races add beauty and interest to the eye by their 
succession of levels, and as we traveled into the 
country they became more frequent and com- 
plete. Curiously enough, the Bontoc Igorots 
have forest laws and a forest service of their 
own. The mountainsides of their rough coun- 
try are sparsely timbered with pine, which has 
grown very scarce near some of the larger set- 
tlements. Forests in the vicinity of such settle- 
ments are divided up into small private holdings 
claimed by individuals, whose right thereto is 
recognized by the other members of the tribe. 
In many places it is forbidden to cut trees until 
they have reached a large size, although the 
lower branches are constantly trimmed off and 
used for firewood. Forest fires are kept down 
to facilitate reforestation, and young trees are 
planted. Such foresight on the part of a primi- 
tive people is certainly unusual. 

So we trailed all day, till toward half after 
five we turned a point and came to Bontoc, 
after a procession of natives had come stream- 
ing out some miles up the gorge to meet the 
party. Bontoc is the capital of the Mountain 
Province and was the goal of our journey. 

The native town is very dirty and is acknowl- 
edged to be one of the worst of the native vil- 




IFUGAO COUPLE. 



Among the Head-Hunters 289 

lages ; in the more savage places the towns are 
said to be cleaner. We walked through it, 
where the terraced stone walks pass by stone 
pits where the pigs wallow, and by thatched 
houses which have no exit for the smoke and 
so are filthy and in dreadful condition. We 
saw the communal shacks in which the unmar- 
ried and widowed members live with their 
peculiar rights, and the sties where the old men 
resort to talk, and we stood outside the wretched 
place where the skulls are kept, and some heads, 
all black and smoked, were brought out in a 
basket from the secret recesses for us to see. 

Some of these Bontoc Igorots are skilful 
smiths, and they make excellent earthen pots 
and clay pipes. They have interesting athletic 
sports of their own and take to those of the 
Americans. They are especially fond of beads, 
which are wound in their hair or hung about the 
neck, and greatly value large white stones, 
caring little for agates, so highly prized by the 
Kalingas. 

Into Bontoc for this great occasion had been 
brought warriors and women from the Kalingas 
and Ifugaos, with Igorots from about, some 
from a distance of several days' travel; and 
for the first time these warring tribes, who only 
two years before were taking each other's heads, 



290 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

came peacefully together, and watched each 
other with as much interest as they watched us. 

The adventures of the American lieutenant 
governors read like romances, and here they 
were before us with their following: the Ka- 
lingas more dangerous and warlike than the 
Ifugaos, and the Ifugaos more picturesque and 
interesting than the Igorots, and all together 
making a never-to-be-forgotten scene. 

There were, too, several small companies of 
native constabulary, for these hill men make 
splendid soldiers and take great pride in their 
arms and uniform, and have proved loyal to the 
death. All the different tribes and the con- 
stabulary had turned out to receive the Secre- 
tary, and it was a vociferous and noisy yelling 
crowd that streamed about in irregular proces- 
sion. We were, some of us, taken to a govern- 
ment house that was comfortable, and took 
our meals at a club which the officials have 
built and which is quite pathetically complete, 
and that evening we did little before turning 
in — the first evening since we had landed in 
the Islands when we were able to turn in at a 
reasonable hour with the prospect of sleeping 
as late as we pleased next day. 

Next day was a day of festivities, a canao, 
for from morning till night there was dancing 



Among the Head-Hunters 291 

by these fantastic peoples, whom so few white 
men have ever seen. We were waked early 
enough, alas! by the ganzas — the tom-toms — 
and there were parades of the different tribes 
through the town. A small grandstand had 
been erected in the plaza, and there we stood 
with the Secretary and the few white teachers 
and the missionaries from about, while the pro- 
cession was reviewed. 

The constabulary came first, dressed only in 
loin cloths of different colours below the waist, 
but with the regulation khaki uniform blouse 
and cap above. They are officered by Amer- 
icans and a few natives, and are most military, 
notwithstanding the strange appearance of their 
bare legs. Some companies were very well 
drilled, and they gave exhibitions of different 
manuals as well as any regular white soldiers 
might have done. 

The wild Kalingas came past next, most 
picturesque, with their feather headdresses of 
red and yellow, and spears and head axes, and 
their brightly coloured loin cloths, and the 
women in scant but gay garments, and not at all 
ashamed in their nakedness. And these gave 
their characteristic dances, with outstretched 
arms, hopping and prancing about in a circle, 
all the time looking down into the center of the 



292 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

circle about which they dance (where the head 
of the decapitated is supposed to be). There 
were innumerable tom-toms, which they play 
with variations, so as to make much rhythm 
and movement, and the women joined in the 
dancing, more moderately, some with big cigars 
in their mouths and looking extremely indif- 
ferent. Then, when they danced in a circle, 
some would prance into the center with shield 
and ax and pretend attacks upon each other, 
and leap about and grow excited ; and this sort 
of thing they kept up all day (and part of the 
night, too) off and on. 1 

iAn interesting passage from Worcester describes this 
Kalinga dance with more detail: 

"Into the ring steps the hero of the occasion, dressed in his 
best clothes, decked with his gaudiest ornaments, and bear- 
ing the shield, lance and head-ax used in the recent fights. 
Behind him there creeps along the ground a strange, shrink- 
ing figure, clad in soiled garments, with a dirty cotton blanket 
pulled over its head. The hero attracts attention to himself 
by emitting a squall which resembles nothing so much as the 
yell of a puppy when its tail is heavily trodden upon. He 
then begins to speak in a monotonous and highly artificial 
voice, the tone and cadences of which are strongly suggestive 
of those of a Japanese actor. With word and gesture he 
describes his recent exploit, using the shrinking figure be- 
side him as a dummy to represent his fallen foe. When he 
stops for breath the ganzas strike up again, and when their 
clangour ceases he resumes his narrative. After concluding 
his pantomimic discussion of his latest exploit, he describes 
and boasts of previous achievements. Incidentally he in- 
dulges in high stepping and high jumping and displays 



Among the Head-Hunters 293 

The Ifugaos followed and passed by, and 
gave their dances, which are the same with a 
difference, but each was ended with a mighty 
shout, after which one of the head men would 
step forward and deliver a rattling speech, and 
they greeted the Secretary variously but cor- 
dially — for they like our American rule, indeed, 
they have never had any other, for the Span- 
iards never attempted to come in and control 
them. 

deadly skill in the manipulation of his weapons. The crowd 
grows even more excited and, during the intervals while the 
ganzas are playing, shrieks its approval and shrills its 
monotonous war cry. Finally when his voice has grown 
hoarse and his muscles are tired, the principal actor retires 
and another takes his place. As darkness comes on, a blazing 
fire is lighted within the canao circle. 

"Ultimately the young and vigorous warriors who par- 
ticipated in the recent fight are succeeded by the old men, 
who have been kept at home by the burden of years and in- 
firmities. Strong drink has caused the dying fire in their 
veins to flare up for the moment. Each of them has a his- 
tory of warlike deeds, which he proceeds to recount. The 
crowd already knows his story by heart, and when the forget- 
fulness of age or that of intoxication causes him to falter, 
prompts him and shouts with laughter at the joke. 

"Gradually the basi begins to exert its stupefying effect; 
but so long as the music and dancing, and the shouting con- 
tinue every one manages to keep awake. At last, food is 
passed, and in the interval during which it is being consumed 
the liquor gets a fair chance to work. As the east begins to 
glow with the coming dawn, men and women fall asleep in 
their places, or hasten to their homes, and the canao ends, 
for the time being at least." 



294 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

Then the Bontoc Igorots followed and gave 
exhibitions with noisy demonstrations, and two 
presidentes, or chiefs, who six months before 
were trying to kill each other, danced and 
pranced together, while the tom-toms beat and 
others hopped and circled round. Most of the 
men were tattooed, each tribe in its own pecu- 
liar manner, certain marks indicating that their 
bearer had killed his man and taken a head — 
some bore marks of many heads ; one man danc- 
ing was known to have taken seventeen. Many 
of the women, too, were tattooed with a feather- 
like pattern. 

And so the dances went on. In some the par- 
ticipants postured fighting and then represented 
wounded men ; in others all were head men to- 
gether ; some were rapid in motion, some slow, 
but all had real grace, that grace of the wild 
man; and all were finely formed and well- 
nourished and healthy looking. When the 
dancing was over, the groups of savages in their 
fantastic dress squatting around the plaza be- 
hind their spears stuck in the ground, with bolo 
and head-ax and tom-tom, and the women stand- 
ing about, made a wonderful scene. 

After the dances and speeches the head men 
came up to the Secretary and handed him 
weapons as gifts, sometimes their own, with 






Among the Head-Hunters 295 

which they had often fought. Mr. Dickinson, 
of course, received the chiefs and the head men 
and women afterward, and presented them 
with shells and blankets and plumes in return. 
The bartering among them was rather amusing, 
as they tried to exchange what they had re- 
ceived and didn't want. 

At the club in the evening of the second day, 
they gave us a remarkable dinner ; all the Amer- 
icans in the district were present; and the few 
Filipinos entertained us at a baile, and so our 
day was finished. 

We started out at daylight next morning and 
hiked back by the same trail; but the views 
seemed finer in their repetition than even when 
we first passed through them. We had had 
most superb weather, although it was the rainy 
season, and had enjoyed the grand panoramas 
to the full; but the last afternoon it came on 
to pour down in torrents, which we enjoyed too 
as an experience, for we came safely to Tagu- 
din, where the people and the band joined in 
sending us off, as they had received us, and we 
were safely taken out through quite a heavy 
surf and put on board the Coast Guard boat 
Negros, and — had a glass with ice in it again. 




CHAPTER VIII 

INSPECTING WITH THE SECKETARY OF WAS 

UGUST thirteenth is a holiday in the 
Philippine Islands, for it is "Occupation 
Day," the anniversary of the fall of 
Manila and its occupation by the American 
army. The special event is a "camp fire" in 
the evening at the theater, when the Philippine 
war veterans gather together and have ad- 
dresses and refreshments. After a dinner with 
Tom Anderson at the Army and Navy Club, 
with its picturesque quarters in an old palace, 
intramuros, we attended this performance, sit- 
ting in the Governor's box and listening to 
the happy self -laudation of the "veterans," who 
all wore the blue shirt and khaki of war times. 
It was toward midnight when we finally left 
and went out to our vessel, for we were off for 
a trip among the southern islands on the cable 
steamer Rizal. We sailed by the light of a 
full moon, and for a while had a merry bobbery 
of it outside, after passing Corregidor. Soon, 
though, we turned a point and had the monsoon 

296 



Inspecting with Secretary of War 297 

following. In the morning we woke to find 
ourselves steaming past the fine scenery of 
southern Luzon, with the volcano of Taal in the 
distance. Several times during the Spanish oc- 
cupation this volcano dealt death and destruc- 
tion, and as late as 1911 it claimed many victims. 

Our first landing place was at Kotta, on 
Luzon, where we started ashore in a small 
launch. It was a beautiful river of palms, but 
our boat got stuck in the mud and we were 
delayed. We finally reached the shore and 
were put into automobiles. Then it was that 
I began to feel as if I had joined a circus 
parade. Escorted by bands and soldiers, our 
motors moved slowly along the streets. Every- 
where people lined the way, while the windows 
of the houses fairly dripped w T ith heads. 

We passed many little villages that looked 
prosperous, and processions of carts, showing 
that the people were active and busy. The road 
ran over picturesque bridges, for part of it 
was an old Spanish trail rejuvenated. At all 
the villages they had made preparations to re- 
ceive the Secretary, bands were out, the chil- 
dren stood by the roadside and waved, and 
the women stood in rows to greet us. The 
municipal buildings were decorated, the piazzas 
hung with festoons and lanterns. They all 



298 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

wanted to give us comida and let off speeches, 
but it was impossible to live through such hos- 
pitalities, so we only halted at each place a few 
minutes to shake hands. 

The stop for the night was Lucena, the home 
of Mr. Quezon, Philippine Commissioner to the 
United States Congress. He traveled with us, 
and we found him very attractive. The general 
opinion was that Quezon, Legarda, and Osmena 
were "playing to the gallery' y for political 
capital, but at the same time they were support- 
ing our administration. It is a good deal like 
some of our friends in Congress, who make 
speeches along lines that they know are abso- 
lutely untenable. 

After climbing into a bandstand, where we 
stood surrounded by people peering up at us, 
flowery speeches began, demanding independ- 
ence. They were the first of the kind we had 
heard. The Filipinos are good speakers and 
keen politicians. Among other remarks, an 
orator said: "Many things occur to my mind, 
each of which is important, but among them 
there is one which constitutes a fundamen- 
tal question for the Filipinos and the Amer- 
icans. It is a question that interests equally 
the people of the United States and the people 
of the Philippine Islands. It is a question of 



Inspecting with Secretary of War 299 

life or death for our people, and it is a ques- 
tion also of justice, for the people of the United 
States. The fundamental question is evidently, 
gentlemen, the question of a political finality of 
my country. . . . 

"We are very grateful for your visit, Mr. 
Secretary, and we hope that the joy that we 
felt on your arrival may not be clouded, that 
it may not be tempered, but rather that it shall 
be heightened, by seeing in you a true interpre- 
tation of the desires of the Philippine people, 
hoping that on your return to the United States 
after your visit to the Philippine Islands, you 
will tell the truth as regards the aspirations of 
the Philippine people. " 

In answering, the Secretary talked about 
the different subjects of interest, such as the 
agricultural bank, land titles, etc. He contin- 
ued: 

"It is very gratifying to me, coming from 
America, and representing the Government in 
the position in which I stand, to hear such testi- 
monials as you have given in regard to the 
men that America has sent to assist you in ad- 
vancing your interests. . . . America has been 
careful to send men in whom confidence can be 
reposed according to their previous character; 
and I want to say to you further, that America 



300 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

has given you here just as good government 
as she has given to her people at home. 1 In all 
established governments fair and just criticism 
is welcome and I shall not therefore bear any 
spirit that would be resentful of any just crit- 
icism. 

"I shall be very glad while I am here to meet 
those who have the real welfare of the Islands 
at heart and the development of this country. 
I have many things to do and the time is com- 
paratively short, but I shall endeavour so to 
conduct affairs as to be able to give audience 
to all law-abiding people who may desire to 
make any representations to me. I shall be at 
convenient periods here where I shall be acces- 
sible, and any communications which are ad- 
dressed to me personally will receive proper 
consideration. Now that states in a general 
way the object of my visit and the disposition 
that I propose to make of my time while here. 
General Edwards, w T ho is with me, as you know, 
is the Chief of the Insular Bureau. Certainly 
he, more than any other man in America, under- 
stands conditions in the Philippines, and his 
whole time, thought and mind are concentrated 

i It is not so well known in this country as in the Far East 
that the fine code of laws which we have given the Philippines 
was drafted by our great statesman, Elihu Root, with the aid 
of some suggestions from Mr. Worcester. 



Inspecting with Secretary of War 301 

upon the problems connected with your welfare, 
and he is working all the time to advance your 
interests. His familiarity with conditions from 
the time of America's occupation, the establish- 
ment of civil government, the settling of the 
various commercial questions that have arisen 
from time to time, make him the most effective 
champion for the Philippine interests in Amer- 
ica, and he has not hesitated in Congress when- 
ever your interests are at stake, to stand up 
and contend for your interests with vehemence 
that ought to make him eligible to all option as 
a Philippine citizen. . . . 

"You have there a brilliant representative 
(Mr. Quezon), who is capable of presenting 
your views and aspirations, and of enforcing 
your wishes with the most cogent arguments of 
which your cause is susceptible. . . . 

"Now as to immediate independence: we 
Americans understand by immediate, right 
away — to-day. Do you want us to get up and 
leave you now — to depart from your country? 
You would find yourselves surrounded by 
graver problems than have hitherto confronted 
you, if we should do so. I don't positively 
assert, but I suggest that you yourselves pause, 
and think whether you might not be reaching 
forth and grasping a fruit which, like the dead 



302 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

sea fruit, would turn to ashes upon your lips." x 
It was at Lucena that my husband and I went 
to Captain and Mrs. S.'s house for the night. 
We sat on the piazza by moonlight, among beau- 
tiful orchids, listening to the band playing in the 
distance, and gossiping. I was interested in the 
servant problem, and Mrs. S. had much to tell 
me that was new. 

1 ' Our native servants would much rather have 
a pleasant ' thank you' than a tip," she said; 
"if a tip is offered, the chances are that it will 
be refused, for the boys feel that they would 
do wrong to accept it. They are very keen, 
though, about their aguinaldos — presents — at 
Christmas. Every native who has done a 
hand's turn for me during the year will turn 
up Christmas Day to wish me a feliz Fasquas, 
and I am expected to give him a present. My 
whole day is for my servants and their children, 
who seem to multiply at that time. When I 
asked my cocker o, 'Lucio, how many ninos have 
you?' he answered, ' Eleven, senora.' 'But how 
many under fourteen, LucioT 'Eleven, se- 
nora ! ' He wanted all the presents that he could 
get," she laughed. 

"But if they don't take tips, do they get good 
wages?" I asked. 

1 1 have taken a few remarks from several speeches. 



Inspecting with Secretary of War 303 

"Not according to American ideas. A Fili- 
pino boy will work for small pay, and stay a 
long time, in a cheerful home atmosphere. 
They are good servants, too," she continued, 
"if you take the trouble to train them. I 
trained a green boy to be a good cook by taking 
an American cook book and translating it into 
Spanish. They have a great reverence for 
books, and that boy thought he was very scien- 
tific. I've had him many years. We loaned 
him money to build his hut near us. He was a 
year paying it off, but he paid off every cent. 
Now he has four children for Christmas gifts. 
When I went away on a visit, he asked me to 
bring him a gold watch from America. So 
many years with us gave him that privilege. 
As we were gone some time I think he feared 
we might not return, so he wrote us a letter." 
Seeing my interest, she got the letter and read 
it to me: 

"My Dear Sir Capt.: 

"In accompany the great respect to you 
would express at the bottom. It is a long time 
since our separation and I'm hardly to forget 
you because I have had recognized you as a best 
master of maine. So I remit best regard to you 
and Mrs. and how you were getting along both, 



304 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

and if you wish to known my condition, why, 
I'm well as ever. 

"Sir Capt. If yon will need me to cook for 
Mrs. why I'll be with you as soon as I can find 
some money. 

"Please Sir Capt. 

"Will you answer this letter for me? 

1 i Very respectfully 

"Yours, Pedeo." 

"On returning from the United States I took 
Pedro back," Mrs. S. went on, "but I found 
I needed extra house boys. The first who pre- 
sented himself was Antonio, aged seventeen. 
He was a very serious, hard-working boy, whose 
only other service had been a year on an inter- 
island merchant ship. I took him at once, for 
servants from boats are usually well trained. 
He turned out well, and in a few months asked 
if he could send for his little brother to be 
second boy to help him. I said he could, so in 
due time Crispin smilingly presented himself. 
No questions passed as to salary or work. He 
was installed on any terms that suited me. A 
few weeks later, Antonio asked if he could bring 
his cousin in just to learn the work, so that he 
could find a place. I consented, and in time 
came Sacarius, gentle and self-effacing, and 






Inspecting with Secretary of War 305 

apparently intent on learning, and always handy 
and useful. Again a favour was asked, this 
time that the father of Antonio might come as 
a visitor for a three weeks' stay. He was very 
old, would not eat in my house, only sleep in 
the servants' room, so again I consented. 
Father must have already been on his way, per- 
mission taken for granted, for his arrival was 
almost simultaneous. . I found him sitting in 
my kitchen in very new and very clean white 
clothes, the saintliest old tao, with no teeth, 
white hair, and a perpetual smile. He rose 
and bowed low to me, but he couldn't speak 
Spanish or English, so called his son to him 
to salute me for him formally. I returned it 
and made him welcome to my house. He bade 
them tell me he had journeyed far to tell me 
of his gratitude for my goodness to his family 
and that he had such confienza in me that he 
had instructed his sons never to leave me. The 
old fellow enjoyed himself thoroughly, and 
spent so much of his son's money that Antonio 
shipped him home in a week." 
" Are they spoiled by living with Americans ? ' ' 
"Yes, but it shows most in their clothes. 
Antonio dresses almost as well as his master," 
laughed Mrs. S. "But he does not attempt 
to work in his best clothes, wearing the regula- 



306 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

tion muchacho costume without objection, even 
though some of the army officers ' muchachos 
are allowed to dress like fashion plates, and 
clatter round the polished floors in their russet 
shoes. A muchacho will spend his whole 
month's pay for a single pair of American rus- 
set shoes. They love russet, and the shoe stores 
flourish in consequence." 

"How about their amusements V 9 I in- 
quired. 

"Whenever they can get off they go to base- 
ball games and the movies. The little girls 
wear American-made store dresses now, and 
great bunches of ribbon in their hair, white 
shoes, and silk stockings. Some families who 
in the early days had hardly a rag on their 
backs now own motors. I don't believe you 
could force independence on them! The sen- 
oritas trip home from normal school with their 
high-heeled American pumps, and paint enough 
on their faces to qualify for Broadway. The 
poor children have to swelter in knitted socks, 
knitted hoods, and knitted sweaters, just because 
they come from America. Filipino children are 
wonderful, though — they never cry unless they 
are ill. They are allowed absurd liberty, but 
they don't seem to get spoiled. The Filipina 
women love white children intensely; the fair 






Inspecting with Secretary of War 307 

skins seem to charm them, and they really can't 
resist kissing a blond child." 

We certainly enjoyed our stay at Lucena. 
Mrs. S.'s house was so clean and homelike, 
with its pretty dining room and its broad ve- 
randa, and the big shower bath which felt so 
refreshing. We went to sleep that night watch- 
ing the palm leaves waving in the moonlight. 

In the early morning we all got into auto- 
mobiles again and ran over fine roads built 
since the American occupation. We left the 
China Sea and crossed the island to the Pacific, 
climbing a wonderful tropical mountain, where, 
by the way, we nearly backed off a precipice 
because our brakes refused to work, and we 
frightened a horse as we whizzed on to Anti- 
monan. The churches here had towers some- 
thing like Chinese pagodas, and the big lamps 
inside were covered with Mexican silver. All 
these island towns have a presidente and a 
board of governors, called consejales, and each 
province has a governor. 

Manila hemp is one of the principal products 
of this prosperous province, and it is chiefly 
used to make rope. The plant from which this 
hemp is made looks very much like a banana 
plant. The stalk is stripped and only the tough 
fibers are used. They employ the cocoanut a 



308 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

good deal to make oil, which is obtained from 
the dried meat, called copra. They had a pro- 
cession of their products here at Antimonan, 
which was very interesting. 

The hemp and cigar importations were first 
carried on by Salem captains in the fifties. The 
great American shipping firm in those days was 
Russell, Sturgis, Oliphant and Company. The 
Philippines were out of the line of travel, how- 
ever, and few people went there except for 
trade. In fact, as far as I know, only one book 
was written by an American about the islands 
before the American occupation. 

On the Rizal next morning, when I looked 
out of my porthole at dawn, it seemed to me 
as if I were gazing at an exquisite Turner 
painting. Mount Mayon * was standing there 
majestically, superb in its cloak of silver mist, 
which changed to fiery red. It is the most 
beautiful mountain in the world, more perfect 
in outline than Fuji. Mrs. Dickinson was so 
inspired by its beauty that she wrote a poem, 
a stanza of which I give : 

"Mount Mayon, in lonely grandeur, 

Rises from a sea of flame, 

Type of bold, aggressive manhood, 

i The ascent of Mt. Mayon is dangerous except for experi- 
enced mountain climbers. The vista from the summit is said 
to surpass even the famous view from Mt. iEtna. 




LANDING AT TOBACO. 



Inspecting with Secretary of War 309 

Lifting high a famous name 
'Bove the conflict of endeavour 
Ranging round its earthly base, 
Where heartache and failure ever 
Stand hand-clasped face to face." 

Our landing at Tobaco was made in the most 
novel way. As the water was shallow and the 
Rizal could not get into the dock, three carabaos 
hitched to a wagon waded out till only their 
noses could be seen; we stepped on to the two- 
wheeled cart and sat in state on chairs while 
we wiggle-waggled through the water to the 
shore. .There we went to the town hall and 
had a banquet with many brown men and a few 
little brown women. The governor of the prov- 
ince spoke, and General Bandholtz responded 
in Spanish for the Secretary, who had gone 
ahead to close a government coal mine that was 
not proving successful. After the banquet we 
had an enchanting automobile ride, through 
the quaint villages at the foot of the great 
mountain to Albay, where a review of the 
scouts was held by the Secretary in the setting 
sun. 

When our party dispersed for dinner L. and 
I were "farmed out" to the superintendent 
of schools, Mr. Calkins. The houses built for 
Americans were all of wood with broad piazzas, 
much like summer cottages at home, with the 



310 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

hall in which we dined in the center and the bed- 
rooms leading off it. 

So much has been written about the schools 
and the wonders in education in the Philippines 
that I shall not try to enlarge on this interest- 
ing theme, other than to add my tribute to the 
government and the teachers, and also to the 
people who are wise enough to take advantage 
of the opportunities offered. Each little Juan 
and Maria, with their desire to learn, may soon 
put to shame little John and Mary, if the latter 
are not careful. 

"It has not been a fad with them, as we 
feared it would be," one of the teachers told 
me; "they have stuck to it. Many grown-ups 
in the family make real sacrifices to keep their 
juniors in school. My little Filipina dress- 
maker is educating all her sister's children and 
sending her brother to the law school. At first, 
too, we feared there would only be a desire to 
learn English and the higher branches, but 
with a very little urging they are learning 
domestic science and the trades, showing that 
they have a mind for practical matters after 
all." 

I begged her to tell me more about the natives, 
since she understood the people so well, and 
what she said is worth repeating. 






Inspecting with Secretary of War 311 

' ' Even in his grief the Filipino is a cheerful 
creature," she began; " curiously enough, too, 
a death in the family is an occasion for general 
and prolonged festivities. An orchestra is 
hired for as many days as the wealth of the 
family permits, and a banquet is spread con- 
tinuously at which all are welcome, even 
former enemies of the deceased. Strangers 
from the street can come; I've often wondered 
if the beggars imposed on this custom, but there 
are very few of them, and they seem to respect 
it. The music drones on day after day. Some- 
times only one instrument will be left, the other 
players going out to smoke, or eat, or rest ; but 
they reassemble from time to time and keep it 
going. There is always much dancing, for the 
natives are great dancers and were not the last 
to learn the one-step and hesitation. Even in 
their heel-less slippers they are very graceful. 
Of course masses are said, for they firmly 
believe that these will take their departed to 
heaven. With this belief they are so happy, 
knowing the dear one is better off in heaven 
than here, that Chopin's funeral march is 
quickly turned into waltz time, and the fiesta 
waxes merry ! 

"In Spanish times each district had its band, 
which always played at the church festivals. 



312 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

Each church had its patron saint, and there was 
always a saint's day fiesta going on in some 
district. In the churchyard booths were spread 
as at our country fairs. Everything from toys 
to all kinds of chance games, of which they are 
so fond, was sold. The band played continu- 
ously and the people came in crowds. The 
Americans have catered to this spirit in the 
yearly carnival which is given every February. 
This carnival is more than a fiesta, though, for 
it is also an exhibition of their produce and 
handiwork. Their hats have always been fa- 
mous, as has their needlework, and under Amer- 
ican encouragement the basket-work exhibit has 
become one of the finest in the world. Some 
hemp baskets, woven in colours, look as if they 
were made of lustrous silk. I can't say which I 
like best, the finest of our Alaskan Indian, or 
Apache, or Filipino baskets. Their shell work 
is lovely, too, and their buttons are coming into 
the world's market for the first time. 

i < The Filipinos are also learning at the School 
of Arts and Trades to carve their magnificent 
woods most skilfully, and are making furni- 
ture which will soon be coming to the States. 
In the early days a few Chinamen had the 
monopoly of furniture carving and making. 
They copied the very ornate pieces brought to 



Inspecting with Secretary of War 313 

Manila by the Spaniards from Spain and 
France in the native mahogany called nara, and 
in a harder and very beautiful wood called acle, 
or in a still harder one known as camagon, a 
native ebony. American women soon began to 
search the second-hand stores and pawn shops 
for the originals, and had them polished and 
restored at Bilibid Prison. The expense, con- 
sidering, was small. A single-piece-top dining 
table of solid mahogany is often nearly eight 
feet in diameter and two or three inches 
thick." 

Another of the teachers told me something of 
her experiences in the early days, when she went 
out with her father, who was one of the first 
American army officers there. 

' ' When we landed we lived in an old Span- 
ish palace, ' ' she said, ' ' which of course we pro- 
ceeded to clean. That was the first thing all 
Americans did on landing. We took eleven 
army dump-cart loads from the palace of every 
kind of dirt conceivable. Then we began wash- 
ing windows and mirrors and lamps, which I 
am sure had never been touched with water 
before. The servants were so amazed that they 
were of very little use. They were mostly 
Chinese, and had never seen white women work 
before. The sight of such energy staggered 



314 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

them. Just when we got things running 
smoothly, father was called home, and our 
cleaned house fell to his successor's wife, who 
wept and said she had never been put in such 
a dirty place. 

"It was after this that my real adventures 
began. Father McKimmon was opening pub- 
lic schools, and wanted English taught. So he 
went among the army girls and just begged us 
to give up a few of our good times and do some 
of this work. I didn't see how I could teach 
people when I didn't know their language, but 
he explained how simple it would be, and we 
could learn Spanish at the same time. 

"It was fun to work with the Spanish nuns. 
They were so interested in us, and their quaint, 
old-fashioned methods with the children amused 
me constantly. Arms were always folded when 
they rose to recite, and it was always ' Servidor 
de usted' — at your service — before they could 
sit down. The nuns soon became pupils of ours, 
too. When the Spanish prisoners liberated by 
our men from the Filipinos were brought to 
Manila they were quartered in our school for 
a hospital. I never saw such starved wrecks. 
Many of them — young men — had no teeth left. 

"More Americans were arriving on every 
transport, and a most delightful society was 



Inspecting with Secretary of War 315 

forming of army and navy people, government 
officials, and naval officers of every nation, in ad- 
dition to the original Spanish population and 
the small colonies of many countries. There 
were parties of all kinds, and as we trained our 
cooks into our own ways we ventured on dinner 
parties. I shall never forget the first dinner I 
went to that was cooked in Spanish style. 
There was every kind of wine I ever heard of, 
but no water. I wanted some, but it was not 
to be had. My host apologized for not having 
provided any, but no one dared drink the city 
supply. We sat down to table at nine and rose 
at twelve, and when the men joined us at one 
they were all much amazed that I made the move 
to go home. 

"I left Manila to visit my brother in the 
provinces. Traveling in those days was very 
different from what it is now. After leaving 
the Manila-Dagupan Kailroad there were no 
motors to go up the mountain; instead of that, 
I rode an ancient American horse till I was 
tired and burning with the sun. Then my 
brother put me in a bull cart, and I sat on the 
floor of that till the sun was preferable to the 
bumping. I arrived at four in the afternoon 
and was put down in an empty room with my 
trunk and a packing box. Being a good army 



316 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

girl, that packing box had all the elements of 
comfort, but first there was cleaning to be done. 
My brother was the commanding officer in that 
town, his house being at the corner of the Plaza, 
and an outpost. So he sent me a police party — 
that is, ten native prisoners and an American 
sentry; they were armed with brooms and 
buckets. I said, ' Sentry, this room is very 
dirty. The Captain sent these men here to 
clean it for me.' 'Yes, mam,' said the sentry. 
' Well,' I told him, 'I want the ceiling cleaned 
first, even the corners ! ' He* turned to his gen- 
tle prisoners with 'Here, hombres, you shinny 
up that pole and limpia those corners!' He 
didn't know much Spanish, but limpia means 
clean, and is the one essential word. I soon un- 
packed my box and turned it into an organdie- 
draped dressing table, after out of it had come 
all that made the room livable. 

"That night I was sleeping the sleep of the 
very tired when I was awakened by a blood- 
curdling shout, a gun was thrown to the floor, 
and a man's voice yelled for help. I simply 
froze — I couldn't move hand or foot. The voice 
was in the outpost guard room, just under my 
own. Of course, I was sure the whole guard 
was overpowered and being boloed. I waited 
for them to come to me as I lay there. Then 



Inspecting with Secretary of War 317 

I heard a man's voice call from an up- 
stairs window, ' What's the matter down there?' 
and the answer, ' Number Four had a night- 
mare, sir — thought there was a goat on his 
bunk.' Just as I was going to sleep again I 
threw out my hand in my restlessness, and to 
my horror, clasped it round a cold, shiny boa- 
constrictor. Every large house has one in the 
garret to keep down. the rats. This time I gave 
the scream and sprang out of bed. But no 
snake was to be found, and I decided it must 
have been the bed post. But what a night that 
was!" 

We reembarked at Legaspi and sailed on to 
the island of Samar, which is in the typhoon 
belt. Catbalogan is a town which has been vis- 
ited by very severe typhoons and terrible 
plagues, but by very few people. It is a small 
place, far away and forgotten, but the island 
of Samar is where the massacre of the Ninth In- 
fantry occurred — the massacre at Balangiga by 
the natives in 1902. There were triumphal 
arches of bamboo and flowers, and speeches in 
the town hall, Governor Forbes speaking in both 
English and Spanish. Afterward eight small 
boys and girls dressed in red, white and blue 
danced for us enchantingly the Charcca and the 
Jota, clicking their little heels and snapping 



318 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

their little fingers in true Spanish style. De- 
licious sweetmeats were offered on the veranda, 
real native dishes, and we drank cocoanut milk 
and ate cocoanut candy, preserves, nuts and 
cakes. Two half-Chinese girls who spoke Eng- 
lish took very good care of us. 

As we left we looked out over the sea to the 
setting sun and watched a lonely fisherman 
standing on a rock throwing his net. 

Next morning from the Rizal, we saw across 
a stretch of calm water the blue ranges of the 
mountains of Bohol. Native bancas glided si- 
lently about, and a straw-sailed boat drifted 
idly round the point, where the picturesque gray 
walls of the oldest Spanish fort in the Philip- 
pines stood guard. Its sentinel houses at the 
corners were all moss grown, and pretty pink 
flowers were breaking out of the crevices of the 
rocks. 

We landed at Cebu, which is the oldest town 
in the Islands, and passed down a street 
lined with ancient houses whose second stories 
arcaded the sidewalk. They were all in good 
condition, in spite of their age, for they were 
built of the wonderful hard woods that last for- 
ever. In fact, Cebu has the look of a new and 
prosperous place, for there have been fires 
which burnt up many of the ramshackle houses 



Inspecting with Secretary of War 319 

and gave a chance to widen the streets and re- 
place the old structures with permanent look- 
ing buildings. The American government has 
done wonders in deepening the harbour and 
building a sea wall, behind which concrete ware- 
houses are going up. 

There was a scramble to a review near the 
barracks, then another scramble to a reception 
at the house of the colonel commanding — a very 
nice but hot occasion — and then still another 
scramble to the dedication of a really excellent 
schoolhouse. 

A young priest took us to see the famous 
idol, the small black infant Christ. We went 
to the convent of the Dominicans near the 
church, and passed through its pretty, unkempt 
court, up a staircase with treads and handrail 
richly carved in a wood which was hard as iron, 
and black with age. It was handsome work, 
such as we had been looking for and hadn't seen 
before. In the sacristy, too, and the robing 
room, there were screens and paneling with 
richly detailed carvings. Passing down the gal- 
leries of the convent, where we could see some 
of the friars at work, we entered the special 
chapel where this holy image is kept. Several 
doors were taken off a rather gaudily gilded 
altar, until at last the little figure was revealed. 



320 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

Its back was toward the room and it bad to be 
carefully turned — a small, brown, wooden doll, 
all dressed in cloth of gold, and be jeweled like 
the Bambino of Eome. It is considered a most 
sacred and wonderful heaven-sent idol. 1 

As we had heard speeches by Filipinos and 
head hunters, I was curious to know what the 
Chinese would have to say, and that night there 
was an opportunity to find out, for we were 
invited to a dinner given by the Chinese mer- 
chants. I quote from the speech made by Mr. 
Alfonso Zarata Sy Cip, which was specially 
interesting : 

' ' The Chinese have traded with these Islands 
since long before Confucius and Mencius," 
said Mr. Sy Cip; "and for centuries we have 
been coming here and assimilating with the 
Filipinos, and to-day we are deeply interested 
in the welfare of the country. The Chinese 
have been called a nation of traders, the Jews 
of the East, but we are more than traders. We 
are labourers, artisans, farmers, manufactur- 
ers, and producers. 

i The Santo Nino of Cebu has a famous rival in the village 
of Antipolo where "Our Lady of Peace and Prosperous Voy- 
ages" is found. This image was brought to the Islands in 
1626 by the Spanish government. It is said the Virgin has 
crossed the Pacific eight times to and from Mexico and each 
time "calmed a tempest." 



Inspecting with Secretary of War 321 

"A very large percentage of the growth and 
development of the commerce and material in- 
terests of the Islands is due to the efforts of 
our countrymen. 

1 ' The infusion of Chinese blood has strength- 
ened and improved the Filipino people. 

" Chinese labour is recognized all over the 
world as the best cheap labour in existence. 
Since American occupation of these Islands you 
have excluded our labour from entering. 
Why? Not for the reason that it would tend 
to lower the standard of living among Filipino 
labourers, because the standard of living among 
Chinese labourers in the Philippines is higher 
than among the Filipino labourers. Hence the 
introduction of Chinese labourers would tend 
rather to improve conditions in this regard. 
You do not exclude him for the reason that 
he works for lower wages than the labourers 
of the country, because, on the contrary, the 
Chinese labourer in the Philippines receives 
higher wages than the native labourer, hence the 
introduction of Chinese labourers would tend 
rather to improve the condition of the native 
labourers as far as wages are concerned. You 
do not exclude him for the reason that he will 
not become assimilated with the natives of the 
country, because centuries of experience have 



322 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

shown that Filipinos and Chinese do assim- 
ilate and readily amalgamate, and the result, as 
I have already said, is an improvement of the 
Filipino people. If you are excluding Chinese 
labourers from the Philippines because of po- 
litical reasons then I confess such reasons, if 
they exist, have been carefully guarded as se- 
crets from the public. 

"Lack of room is not a reason for excluding 
Chinese labourers, nor is lack of need for their 
services. In the great island of Mindanao 
alone it is doubtful if five per cent of the tilla- 
ble land is under cultivation, and in other places 
it is the same. A large part of the rice con- 
sumed in these Islands is imported from other 
countries, yet we have here the finest tropical 
climate in the world and the most productive 
soil. Let a sufficient number of Chinese labour- 
ers come into the Philippines and we will guar- 
antee that in ten years we will be sending rice to 
the gates of Pekin and Tokyo." 

Toward night we sailed on the Rizal from 
Cebu for the land of the Moros. Out in the Sulu 
Sea, one felt very near heaven when the sky 
turned hazy gray in the afterglow, and the dis- 
tant islands mauve, only their peaks flaming like 
volcanoes from the hidden sun. Then the big 
stars came out, like Japanese lanterns, and 



Inspecting with Secretary of War 323 

left a comet-like trail upon the dancing wa- 
ters. 

From their holes below the cabin boys, Ah 
Sing and Sing Song, would pop out like slim 
white mice with their long black pigtails, with 
little cot beds tucked under their arms which 
they would place in rows upon the deck. Ah 
Sing would say, "Cheih ko koe" (that will do), 
and Sing Song would answer, " Hsiao hsin" (be 
careful). Later, when the moon rose out of the 
sea and the Southern Cross appeared on the 
horizon, shadowy forms glided silently up the 
companionway. But the silence did not last. 
Some one would call to Sing Song in pidgin 
English : 

"Boy! go catchy whiskey, Tansan; top side, 
talky man little more fat !" And some one else 
would say to Ah Sing, 

"You fool boy, you catchy me one bath." 

Ah Sing seemed to understand. He would 
wag his head and answer, "You good man, no 
talky all the time, makey me sick." And he 
would disappear. 

At sight of a tall, genial man, the people in 
their cots would sing out, "Doctor Heiser's a 
friend of mine, a friend of mine, a friend of 
mine," etc. American judges, and Filipino 
congressmen and generals were of the company. 



324 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

Occasionally a whisper, very often a giggle, 
sometimes a clinking of glasses, and good night 
kisses, were heard, and then the sand man closed 
our eyes. 







CHAPTER IX 

THE MOROS 

N reaching Mindanao, the land of the 
ijxjf/ Moros, we went ashore at Camp Overton, 
where we were met by army officers and 
dougherties drawn by teams of six mules. 
After a hand-shake at the commanding officer's 
home, we were furnished with a big escort of 
cavalry and started climbing up, up, among the 
hills. Soldiers were hidden in the tall grass 
all along the way to make sure that nothing 
would happen to "the great White Sultan with 
the big Red Flag," as the Moros called the Sec- 
retary. Army men could not go out alone, even 
in those days, for they were attacked by bands 
and killed, principally to get their weapons, 
which the Moros were very keen to possess. 
The datos, the head men of the Moro tribes, 
were allowed to have guns, but none of the other 
natives. A storm came up, however, not long 
ago on Lake Lanao, at Camp Keithley, and for 
fear that his boat would upset, General Wood 
had a great deal of ammunition thrown over- 

325 



326 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

board, which, it was discovered, was subse- 
quently fished up by the natives. 

The Moros are Mohammedan Malays. They 
came in their boats from islands further south, 
and in 1380 were converted to Islam by an 
Arab wise man, Makadum, 1 who made his way 
to Sulu and Mindanao. 

One hears then of Eaja Baginda, who came 
from Sumatra in 1450; his daughter married 
Abu Bahr, the law giver, who established the 
Mohammedan Church and, after his father-in- 
law's death, became sultan and founded a dy- 
nasty. In the old days the Moros were all pi- 
rates and slave traders. Both Spanish and 
American authorities have tried to suppress 
slavery, but it still exists. It is said a woman 
will bring about forty pesos. 

A dato's slaves to-day are well treated, and 
form part of the family. A slave, moreover, 
has a chance to rise in the social scale, for Pi- 
ang, whom we met, was once a slave, but be- 
came a powerful chief and a friend of the Amer- 
icans. 

The ruler of all the Moros is the Sultan of 
Sulu, whom we did not see because he was in 
Europe at the time we were in the Islands. 
It is said that a few years ago he would some- 

i This great missionary is buried on the island of Sibutu. 



The Moros 327 



times appear in the market on the back of a 
slave, with an umbrella held over his head. 
Here he would stay while the people kissed his 
hands and feet. He may have changed his cus- 
toms since his trip. 

Dampier, who visited the northern islands of 
the Philippines, has also left us notes of his 
stay on Mindanao, which are still true in the 
main. He says: 

"The island of Mindanao is divided into 
small states, governed by hostile sultans, the 
governor of Mindanao being the most power- 
ful. The city of Mindanao stood on the banks 
of the river, about two miles from the sea. It 
was about a mile in length, and winded with 
the curve of the river. The houses were built 
on posts from fourteen to twenty feet high, and 
in the rainy season looked as if built on a lake, 
the natives going their different ways in 
canoes. The houses are of one story, divided 
into several rooms, and entered by a ladder 
or stair placed outside. The roofing consists 
of palm or palmetto leaves. . . . The floors 
of the habitations are of wicker-work or 
bamboo. 

"A singular custom, but which facilitated 
intercourse with the natives and vice versa, was 
of exchanging names and forming comradeship 



328 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

with a native, whose house was thenceforth con- 
sidered the home of the stranger.' ' 

Alimund Din 's name stands out in this meager 
Moro history beyond all others, for he was the 
first and only Christian ruler in this land. 
Even before he became a Christian he was a re- 
former, and suppressed piracy. He not only 
coined money but had both an army and a navy, 
and lived in such splendour as probably has not 
existed since those days, among the Moros. 

Alimund Din ruled about the middle of the 
eighteenth century, in the time of Philip V of 
Spain. In return for ammunition to enable the 
Spanish to keep down piracy, he allowed the 
Jesuit fathers to enter his country. In time, 
however, they caused trouble among the Moros, 
and civil war broke out, as Bautilan, a relative 
of Alimund Din's, preferred the Mohammedan 
religion to the new ideas of the Jesuits. Ali- 
mund Din and his followers took flight in boats, 
and in time reached Manila, where they inter- 
ceded for Spanish protection. The Spaniards 
showered him with presents, gave him a royal 
entrance into the city, and finally converted him 
to Christianity. Later, he was sent back, es- 
corted by Spanish ships, but Bautilan 's fleet at- 
tacked them. As the Spaniards suspected 
Alimund Din of becoming a Christian not en- 



The Moros 329 



tirely for Christianity's sake, they threw him 
into prison. The throne was restored to him in 
1763 by the English, who occupied this part of 
the island for a short time. 

The Moros are not supposed to eat meat or 
drink wine, although they have been known to 
drink whiskey and soda with Americans, as well 
as eat pork and beans on occasions. There 
are no mosques in this region or holy dancing- 
girls (who can do no wrong) but there are 
Moro priests or pandit as who go from house to 
house. They have little education, but some of 
them have traveled. It is the custom for a rela- 
tive of the deceased to watch and protect a Moro 
grave for many months. Such a mourner can 
sometimes be seen squatting near by under a 
yellow umbrella. The Moros have as many 
wives as they can afford, but not more than they 
can afford, for it is an insult to speak of a man's 
wife as " begging bread." 

The Moros are smaller than the East Indian 
Mohammedans, but are strong and slight, and 
have fine features. They appear especially 
cruel and determined because their teeth are 
black from buyo. In war time, many of the 
women fought beside the men, and it is sup- 
posed to be they who mutilated the Americans 
found dead on the field after battle. The peo- 



330 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

pie whom we met on the road with their ponies 
loaded with hemp seldom smiled and did not 
bow, but they looked us straight in the eye, and 
there was no touch of sulkiness about them. 

It is very difficult to distinguish the men from 
the women, as they dress much alike. But you 
see few of the latter on the road, for being Mo- 
hammedans, most of them are kept at home. 
They are not veiled like other Moslem women, 
except when first married. 

The costumes of the Moros differ to such a 
degree — and for no reason that I could discover 
— that it is difficult to describe them. Many 
wear tight trousers, which are something like 
those of the Spaniards — so tight that they are 
sewn on the men and never come off until worn 
out — and are often bright red or yellow in 
colour. On the other hand, some wear very 
loose, baggy trousers or skirts of different 
shades. Indeed, they are the most gaily 
dressed people I have ever seen, and their brown 
skins set off the vivid yellows and greens and 
reds and magentas and purples of which their 
trousers and jackets and turbans and handker- 
chiefs are made. The jackets have a Chinese 
appearance. The turbans might be old Aunt 
Dinah's of the South. The sashes, which are 
woven in the Moro houses, are of silk, bright 



The Moros 331 



green and dark red being the predominant 
colours. They are knotted on one side, gener- 
ally a kriss or a bolo being held in the knot, 
and are tied about the waist so tightly that the 
men look almost laced, and perhaps that ac- 
counts for their womanish appearance. 

When the American army first occupied this 
region they treated the Moros well and found 
them friendly. Take for instance Zamboanga 
in the south, an especially interesting region. 
When the American soldiers entered, the Span- 
ish guard left the garrison, and the Spanish 
population and the priests followed. The 
Americans found outside the town gates a large 
barbed wire bird cage, where the Moros had 
been compelled to leave their arms before en- 
tering the town at night, to avoid an uprising. 
The government of Zamboanga at this time was 
reorganized by the American officers. A Fili- 
pino presidente was appointed, a dato to head 
the Moros, and a Captain Chinese, as he was 
called, to manage his people, who were mostly 
merchants and pearl fishers. 

Mindanao was under a military-civil govern- 
ment that worked wonders, for in a few years 
many of the Moros were brought under control, 
and they became loyal Americans, although they 
had always been bitter enemies of the Filipinos 



332 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

and the Spaniards. They say they have found 
the Americans brave, and have not been lied to 
by them, and so they seek our protection. Al- 
though the Moro and the head-hunter are so dif- 
ferent, they are alike in one respect — if they care 
for an official and have confidence in him they 
do not want him changed. It is the man they 
are willing to obey rather than the government. 
Of course, there are thousands of them, fierce as 
ever, back in the mountains, and they are still 
fanatic and wild. Even among those who are 
under control, the greatest care has to be exer- 
cised, for they have the hatred of the Christian 
deep in their hearts, and they may run amuck 
at any moment and kill till they are killed ; but 
this is a part of their faith, they ask no quarter, 
and nothing stops them but death. 

Besides the danger of their attack by reli- 
gious mania they have a great desire for rifles, 
as I have said, and they are always "jump- 
ing" the constabulary, attacking small parties 
suddenly from ambush and cutting them down 
with their knives, or killing sentries; so that 
constant care has to be used, and the sentinels 
walk at night in twos, almost back to back, so 
as to have eyes on all sides. A few weeks be- 
fore we arrived there had been several cases of 
"jumping." 



The Moros 333 



An American army officer told me the fights 
with the Moros generally occurred on the trails 
among the hills ; as the foliage is so thick, it is 
easy for the natives to conceal themselves on 
either side, sometimes in ditches, and give the 
Americans a surprise. For this reason, a drill 
was found necessary for single file fighting. 
Every other soldier was taught to respond to 
the order of one and two. When an attack 
was made, the " ones' ' shot to the right, the 
" twos" to the left. This proved successful. 
The same officer said the Moros would often use 
decoys to lead the troops astray. Seeing fresh 
tracks, they would hasten on in pursuit, and 
be led away from their supplies, while their 
enemy would be left behind to attack them in 
the rear. Walking on the mountain trails was 
very hard on the soldiers ' shoes, and on one of 
these expeditions their boots gave out, so they 
were obliged to make soles for their shoes 
out of boxes and tie them on with leather 
straps. 

Up, up we drove; the clatter of the cavalry 
could be heard in front and behind, and the 
dougherty, how it did rattle! It was a pretty 
sight to see the party traveling through the trop- 
ical forests and winding across the green up- 
lands, with their pennons and the Secretary's 



334 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

red flag (which made a great impression on the 
natives, we heard), and the wagons rumbling 
along, with a rearguard behind and the scouts 
in the distance. John, the coloured man, 
snapped his whip, and the mules trotted along, 
and the air became cooler, and we drove over 
a plain where real mountain rice was planted. 
Occasionally a Moro shack could be seen in the 
distance. 

At an outpost, where we stopped to change 
mules, we saw a beautiful waterfall, perhaps 
the loveliest that I had ever seen, called Santa 
Maria Cristina. From a greater height than 
Niagara it plunged down into a deep valley of 
giant trees. It reminded me of a superb water- 
fall near Seattle. 

At last we reached Camp Keithley, on the 
mountain plain, a forlorn lot of unpainted 
houses with tin roofs and piazzas, but beauti- 
fully situated, like some station in the Himala- 
yas. There was splendid mountain scenery 
disappearing into the distances, and views of 
the ocean far away, and, on the other side, the 
great lake of Lanao, an inland sea more than 
two thousand feet above the ocean, with impos- 
ing ranges about. This lake, which has always 
been the center of Moro life, is surrounded by 
native villages, and the military post is impor- 



The Moros 335 



tant and much liked by the officers quartered 
there. 

The Secretary, my husband and I were bil- 
leted on Major Beacom, the commanding offi- 
cer — Mrs. Dickinson had not felt quite equal 
to the trip. The Major's house was very at- 
tractive, and his little German housekeeper gave 
us excellent food and made the orderlies fly 
about for our comfort. 

We went almost at once to the market place, 
which was intensely interesting. The gorgeous 
colours and gold buttons of the costumes were 
magnificent. Brass bowls for chow were for 
sale, and betel-nut boxes inlaid with silver, and 
round silver ones with instruments attached 
to clean the ears and nose. There are four 
compartments in these betel-nut boxes — for 
lime, tobacco, the betel nut, and a leaf in which 
to wrap the mixture called buyo. 

Here we saw the spear and shield dance. 
The dancer had a headdress that covered his 
forehead and ears, making him look quite 
ridiculous, absolutely as though he were on the 
comic opera stage. With shield and spear he 
danced as swiftly and silently as a cat, creep- 
ing and springing until your blood ran cold, 
especially as you knew he had killed many a 
man. 



336 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

In the afternoon, after reviewing the troops 
and inspecting the quarters, we crossed a cor- 
ner of the lake and landed at a Moro village. 
It was raining hard and the mud was deep. We 
waded through a street, followed by the people 
in their best clothes — one in a black velvet suit, 
another in a violet velvet jacket. I saw only- 
two women in the streets ; they were not veiled 
nor brilliantly dressed, but had red painted lips 
and henna on their nails. The Moro constabu- 
lary here wore red fezzes and khaki, and the 
officer in command at the time was of German 
birth. 

After we had passed through a bamboo trail,' 
we came into a little open place with three fine 
Moro houses about, set up above the ground on 
great posts made of tree trunks. Unlike Fili- 
pino houses, they had facades all carved in a 
rough and handsome sort of arabesque, painted 
in bright reds and blues, and with pointed roofs 
and coloured cloths fluttering out of the open 
spaces, they made fine effects. The long cracks 
in the walls served as peepholes, where the snap- 
ping black eyes of the many wives of the datos 
were peering out at us. In front, in the little 
green space, pennons were planted and there 
was a huge Chinese-looking sea serpent, or 
dragon, on wheels, with a body of gaily coloured 




a :moko dato's house. 



The Moros 337 



stuffs, and a rearing movable head. This ca- 
vorted about in time to the endless noise of the 
tom-toms. A crowd of natives stood round in 
their fanciful raiment. 

Into one of these houses we were invited. 
We mounted the ladder to the one large room 
in the front, into which the sliding panel shut- 
ters admitted the air freely, so that it was cool 
and shaded. Here sat the wives and the slaves 
in a corner, playing on a long wooden instru- 
ment with brass pans, which they struck, pro- 
ducing high and low sounds, with a little more 
tune than the Igorots. The big room was bare, 
except for a long shelf on which was some woven 
cloth and a fine collection of the native brass 
work, for this is the center of the brass-workers. 

We moved on through the little town of nipa 
houses to visit old Dato Manilibang, whose 
house was not as fine as those we had seen be- 
fore, but where we were admitted into two 
rooms. From the entrance we streaked muddy 
feet across the bamboo-slatted floor into his re- 
ception room, where a sort of divan occupied 
one side — on which the Secretary was asked to 
sit. Behind this cushioned seat were piled the 
boxes with the chief's possessions, and here he 
sits in state in the daytime and sleeps at night. 
The women, who were huddled together on one 



338 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

side of the room, wore bracelets and rings, and 
one was rather pretty. 

At dawn we were up and off again. What a 
day! We had two hours on a boat crossing a 
lovely lake, surrounded by mountains, on the 
shore of which some of the wildest Moros live. 
Our boat was a big launch, a sort of gunboat, 
which, strangely enough, the Spaniards had 
brought up here and sunk in the lake when the 
war came on, we were told, and which had been 
resurrected successfully. It was a steep climb 
up the opposite side of the lake, but most of 
us scrambled up on horses, till we topped the 
ridge and came to Camp Vickers, a station with 
fine air and outlook but rather small and pa- 
thetic. 

The picturesque Moros had gathered here to 
greet the Secretary, and their wail of welcome 
was something strange and weird. A dato 
would come swinging by, followed in single file 
by his betel-box carrier, chow bearer and slaves. 
Some of the chiefs rode scraggly ponies, on high 
saddles, with their big toes in stirrups of cord 
almost up under their chins, and with bells on 
the harness that rattled gaily. And, of course, 
the tom-toms kept up their endless music. 

We had two more hours of horseback riding 
— we hoped to see a boar hunt, but owing to 




BAGOBO MAN WITH POINTED TEETH. 



The Moros 339 



some misunderstanding, it did not come off. 
Then, after a stand-up luncheon at Major 
Brown's, we started down the trail again in a 
dougherty. 

It was a beautiful drive through this forest 
on the island of Mindanao. We first crossed 
open grassy uplands, then dipped down through 
the great glades of the most tropical forest 
I have ever seen, with towering hard woods 
and tree ferns, with bamboos and clinging air 
plants and orchids, and there was mystery and 
wonder about the giant growths. The trees 
seemed taller than the elms of New England 
or the cedars of Oregon. They dripped with 
huge-leaved, clinging vines, which grew hig- 
gledy-piggledy, covering everything. The 
grass, too, with waving purple tassels, grew 
higher than a man's head, twice as high as the 
pigmy brown people who have their houses in 
these trees. 

The tree-dwellers just referred to are the 
Manobos and the Bagobos with pointed teeth 
— for Mindanao is not entirely inhabited by 
Moros; there are supposed to be no less than 
twenty-four tribes on this island alone. They 
build in trees, to escape the spear thrusts of 
their neighbours through the bamboo floors. 
We were to make their acquaintance later. 



340 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

A drenching rain came on that afternoon, 
through which the escort jogged along, while we 
clung in our dougherties, nearly shaken to 
pieces, and reached Malabang, on the other side 
of the island, as much fatigued as if we had been 
on horseback all the way. The military post 
here was most attractive, with the prettiest of 
nipa houses for the officers, and the parade 
lined with shading palms, and flower-bordered 
walks — a charming station. We were quar- 
tered with Lieutenant Barry and his wife, a 
delightful young couple, in their thatched house, 
and dined with Major Sargent, the commanding 
officer, who has written some good books on mil- 
itary topics. 

The Celebes Sea was calm and lovely when we 
left Malabang. We passed along the coast of 
Mindanao toward a long lowland that lay be- 
tween the .high mountains of the island. This 
was the plain of the Cotobato, a great river 
which overflows its banks annually like the Nile 
and has formed a fertile valley that could be 
turned to good account. The mouth of the river 
is shallow, so that we were transferred to a 
stern- wheel boat that was waiting, and began to 
work our way up, against the rapid current, past 
low, uninteresting banks that were proving 



The Moros 341 



rather monotonous, when suddenly we turned a 
point and saw the town of Cotobato. 

The Moros and the other tribes were in their 
full splendour here. Soon, down this tropical 
river, where crocodiles dozed and monkeys chat- 
tered and paroquets shrieked, there came a flo- 
tilla from the Arabian Nights, manned by galley 
slaves. On the masts and poles of one of the 
barges floated banners, and under the canopy 
of green sat a real Princess. Some of the boats 
were only dugouts with outriggers, but they 
were decorated, too, and all the tribes were 
dressed in silks and velvets of the brightest 
colours. 

There was great excitement and much cheer- 
ing as we approached the landing stage, and the 
troops stood at attention, while the rest of the 
shore was alive with the throng of natives in 
all the colours of the rainbow. The Secretary 
inspected the troops, and we saw for the first 
time the Moro constabulary, wearing turbans 
and sashes, but with bare legs; nevertheless, 
they looked very dashing. Indeed, the Moros 
were so different in character and appearance 
from any people we had seen before that they 
might as well have come down from the stars. 

The Secretary was taken to meet the datos, 



342 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

as they stood in line beneath the great trees, 
with the motley crowds of retainers behind 
them, in snch a medley of colours as I had 
never imagined before. The sunlight filtered 
through the trees upon the barbaric costumes, 
while the gaily dressed women stood behind 
the men and peered over them. The brown 
men looked dignified and very self-respecting, 
too, although the scene was like the setting of 
a comic opera, where the imagination had been 
allowed to run riot. 

There we saw Dato Piang and Gimbungen, 
a very fat dato — what a delightful bug-a-boo 
name — also Ynock, whose ear had been cut 
off in a fight, we were told; but strange as it 
may seem, he said he had clapped it onto his 
face again and tied it on, and it had grown 
there. So it hung attached somewhere down 
on his cheek, and gave him a very peculiar ap- 
pearance. When the Moros conquered the Fili- 
pinos, this dato had the captured women 
stripped and made to walk before him, and then 
took them off to the mountains. When he was 
taken prisoner later by the Filipinos, he was 
compelled to work in chains in the streets. 

Under a canopy the Princess received us, a 
native woman whose descent was traced for 
many hundreds of years — said to be a pure 



The Moros 343 



Moro, although she looked rather Chinese — 
and who was recognized as of the highest social 
superiority, but had little political power. She 
herself was draped in varied colours, while her 
chamberlain wore a brocade coat of crimson and 
gold cloth. Behind her stood her maids bearing 
the gold betel-nut boxes and chow trays and um- 
brellas of her rank. 

Our luncheon with the commanding officer, 
Major Heiberg, and his wife, was eaten in de- 
lightful little kiosks of nipa and bamboo, which 
had been built in a small palm grove. The 
dancing girls of the Princess, who had long nails 
protected by silver covers, gave us a perform- 
ance afterward. Curiously enough, their dance 
was very Japanese in character. Then some 
Manobos, picturesque in short, skin-tight trou- 
sers and bolero jackets, with bags and boxes 
beautifully worked in bright beads, danced a 
graceful, monotonous step. The women have 
a swaying, snake-like dance with waving arms 
and jingling of bracelets and "triplets," if I 
may be allowed to coin the word. 

At last, after so many adventures, we found 
ourselves again on board the Rizal. An en- 
chanting spot on this boat was a projection 
over the bow, on which one could sit curled up 
high above the water. On this perch we felt 



344 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

like the red-winged sea gulls that circled far 
above us. We passed over a sea of polished 
jade, which at night shone with phosphorescence 
like gleaming silver. 

Next morning, August 23d, we approached 
Zamboanga. Five American ships, all deco- 
rated, came steaming out to meet us and fell 
in behind in order, making a lovely sight on 
the bright, smooth seas. As we neared the 
town, we suddenly saw a large flotilla of native 
boats, with tom-toms beating and thousands of 
flags fluttering — such a gay sight ! Banners of 
all shapes, streaming and flapping and waving, 
and such colours and combinations of colours — 
stripes of green and purple and orange in de- 
signs of lemon and red and magenta, serpen- 
tine flags and square ones, hung in all sorts of 
ways, and brightly coloured canopies under 
which sat the sultans, and green umbrellas and 
yellow and — bang! off went their small lan- 
tankas, tiny native-made cannon — a most excit- 
ing reception! 

We landed under triumphal arches and were 
driven in state carriages through lines of school 
children, who sang and threw us flowers from 
old Spanish gardens. The post was really 
beautiful, for it had much left from old Spanish 
times, and what had been done over had been 




BAGOBOS WITH MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. 



The Moros 345 



done with taste. The green parade had a ter- 
raced canal passing through it, and avenues of 
palm; the officers' quarters, smothered in 
flowering plants and fronting out over the glit- 
tering blue sea, were large and airy and finer 
than any we had seen before. It is considered 
one of the best posts in the Philippines, and 
seemed cool and pleasant. 

There was the usual procession — first, the 
troops of the garrison and the constabulary, 
then thousands of visiting Moros, Bagobos and 
Manobos, of every colour of skin and clothes, 
many of them whooping and leaping, and then 
a tiresome following of hundreds of Filipinos, 
who had joined in to make a political demon- 
stration. It is said the Filipinos did not wish 
the Moros to take part in the procession. 

Exciting times followed at the meeting after 
this parade, where both Filipino and Moro 
speakers were heard. Said a Filipino, address- 
ing the Secretary : 

" You have just visited our province and have 
just learned its conditions; at such places in 
it through which you have passed you must 
have seen quite a number of Moros, but I be- 
lieve that a separation . . . could very well be 
established, to the end that both people, the 
Christian Filipino and the Filipino Moro, might 



346 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

have the government that corresponds respec- 
tively to each of them, for it is a very regret- 
table thing that on account of the presence of 
the latter we Christians should be unable to en- 
joy the liberties that reason and right would 
grant us. . . . 

"I think it is my duty to advise you that 
the Moros who filed past the grandstand were 
brought from remote and distant places with 
the exclusive purpose of giving greater eclat 
to your reception. Moreover, it must be borne 
in mind always, in dealing with the affairs of 
this province, that the Moros have no political 
influence, possess no property, nor help pay the 
expense of the government. ' ' 

Then Dato Mandi spoke : 

"I am here, El Eaja Mura Mandi, repre- 
senting the Moros. As I look about, I see far 
more Moros than the Filipino contingent, and 
if that is so, that is the reason it is called the 
Moro Province. (Tremendous applause from 
the Moros.) 

"When first the Americans came here, from 
the very beginning, whatever they asked me to 
do I did. I was loyal to them ever. Now I 
have heard a rumour that we Moros are in the 
hands of the Filipinos. . . . 

"If the American Government does not want 



The Moros 347 



the Moro Province any more they should give 
it back to us. It is a Moro province. It be- 
longs to us." (Tremendous applause by the 
Moros.) 

Dato Sacaluran threw down the Moro chal- 
lenge : 

"I am an old man. I do not want any more 
trouble. But if it should come to that, that we 
shall be given over to the Filipinos, I still would 
fight." (Applause.) 

But Hadji Nangnui, who spoke of himself as 
"a Samal," made the clearest statement of the 
Moro position: 

"The Secretary of War must look the mat- 
ter in the face. We are a different race; we 
have a different religion; we are Mohammed- 
ans. And if we should be given over to the 
Filipinos, how much more would they treat us 
badly, than they treated even the Spanish badly 
who were their own mothers and their own fa- 
thers in generations? How did they treat 
them ? Think about it ! Think twice ! We far 
prefer to be in the hands of the Americans, who 
are father and mother to us now, than to be 
turned over to another people." (Applause.) 

In the evening we dined delightfully at the 
Persuings \ After dinner, the Moros danced in 
the garden the spear and shield dance, and the 



348 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

Bagobo women gave the scarf dance. The 
Bagobos still offer Iranian sacrifices. Their 
caps, if tied in a certain way, show how many 
men they have killed. Their dress is made of 
cloth which they weave from carefully selected 
and dyed fibers of Manila hemp, and it is treated 
with wax in snch a way as to make it very 
smooth and durable. In the glow of the red 
light from Chino Charlie's famous lanterns, 
their picturesque costumes, gleaming with bead 
work, added much to the brilliancy of the scene. 
They love music and make some large stringed 
instruments. They also play the flute from the 
nose, with one nostril stopped up, like the 
Hawaiians. 

The dancing under the palms in the garden, 
by the rippling seas, where the moonlight 
flooded down radiantly, was quite like a strange 
dream. 

At this dinner I was told the story given by 
Dean Worcester by which the Moros explain 
why they do not eat pork : 

"Mahamoud had a grandson and a grand- 
daughter. ... As he was king of the world, 
Christ came to his house to visit him. Ma- 
hamoud, jealous of him, told him to prove his 
power by ' divining' what he had in a certain 
room, where, in fact, were his grandchildren. 




BAGOBO WITH NOSE FLUTE. 



The Moros 349 



Christ replied that he had no wish to prove his 
power, and would not 'divine.' Mahamoud 
then vowed that if he did not answer correctly, 
he should pay for it with his life. Christ re- 
sponded, 'You have two animals in there, differ- 
ent from anything else in the world.' Maha- 
moud replied, 'No, you are wrong, and I will 
now kill you.' Christ said, 'Look first, and see 
for yourself.' Mahamoud opened the door, and 
out rushed two hogs, into which Christ had 
changed his grandchildren." 

Some verses recited at General Pershing's 
dinner showed the feeling of army officers about 
their life in the Philippines. A stanza runs : 

"What is it makes us fret so hard 

In this benighted land? 
It isn't lack of courage 
And it isn't lack of 'sand.' 

It isn't fear of Moros 
Or Bagobos from the hills — 

It's the many great discomforts 
And the many, many ills." 

It is interesting to read in a recent number 
of the Manila Times that Zamboanga, which 
seemed so like a picture handed down from 
Spanish days, has absorbed a good share of 
American progressiveness and is said to stand 
in a class by itself among Philippine towns. 



350 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

Waterworks and a hydro-electric plant are un- 
der construction, the water for which is to be 
brought along the mountainside, a part of the 
way through tunnels. To dig these, " experi- 
enced Igorot tunnel makers from Benguet were 
imported," who are getting along amicably with 
the Moros. 

At Jolo, or Sulu, we were again greeted by a 
Moro fleet and some diving girls and boys. 

This seemed the culmination of the pictur- 
esque in our trip. The mountains of the island 
are not high but rather cone-shaped, and .as 
we approached the town we could see behind 
it the forested slopes of steep Bud Dajo, where 
the great fight took place in 1906 and many 
Moros were killed in the crater top of the vol- 
cano, to which they had retreated, and from 
which they challenged and threatened the Amer- 
ican forces. It is an island of fierce, piratical 
Moros, and even the Americans had not tried 
to do much there. It was dangerous to go out- 
side the little walled town at all, and all the na- 
tives coming in were searched for their weap- 
ons, which were taken away at the gates. 
Only a few months before, a fanatic Moro tried 
to attack the gate guard, but fortunately was 
killed before fatally injuring any one. 

The walled town is a most artistic little Span- 



The Moros 351 



ish place, built once upon a time by the exiled 
Spanish Governor Asturia, who made it a gem 
of a town, with small balustraded plazas and 
a hanging-garden sea wall, and a miniature wall 
with battlements and gates, and streets set out 
with shading trees. The pretty Officers' Club 
and quarters overhung the wall. The gates of 
the town are closed at night, and all the natives 
must leave for their houses outside before the 
" retreat,' ' but there is a native market and a 
town built out on piles over the water, which we 
visited. We drove out to a plain, palm-fringed 
and backed by mountains, that overlooked the 
sea, where there was a review of the cavalry and 
a large company of mounted Moros, who car- 
ried many American flags among their waving 
banners. Within the walls, in a grandstand in 
the little plaza, where the natives thronged, 
there was a meeting between the Secretary and 
the chief datos; and the Hadji, who had been 
Vizier of the Sultan, made a wise speech, full of 
promise of loyalty. Our Governor had won the 
good will of the people about him and the Hadji 
said that when his people were certain of our 
good intentions they would come in willingly 
and be loyal — but, for so many years, they had 
been misled by previous rulers. 
We amused ourselves by going to Chino 



352 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

Charlie's and buying lanterns, and lunched at 
the Officers' Club. Afterward we went out on 
the pier inhabited by the Chinese and looked 
for pearls — Jolo pearls are famous — but we saw 
none of real value. We watched the Chinamen 
drying copra, and went through their market, 
where water slugs were for sale. Finally, we 
sailed across the bay. Our visit to the Moros 
was full of colour to the end, for the sun was 
setting gorgeously as we put out to sea. 




CHAPTER X 



)HE little coral island of Bancoran lies in 
the middle of the Sum Sea, quite outside 
the usual routes of travel. It is inhab- 
ited only by birds, and people seldom or never 
go there. But we wanted to obtain, if we could, 
some new species of gulls or terns for the 
Bureau of Science at Manila, and also to en- 
joy the mysterious sea gardens which are 
found among the southern reefs. Just after 
tiffin the island was sighted, lying quite alone 
by itself in milky green water. The ship 
stopped and launches were dropped overboard, 
and a glass-bottomed boat which had been 
brought along for our use. 

The afternoon was ideal — the sky blue and 
fleeced with snowy clouds piled high, while the 
intense sun shining on the water flashed back 
a hundred shades of blue and green and mauve. 
On one side of the island, which floated like an 
emerald among sapphires, outstanding rocks 
chafed the seas into foaming surf, while on the 

353 



'354 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

other a long, narrow beach lay shimmering, pale 
yellow in the sunlight. The island itself was 
covered with a thick jungle of trees, which were 
dotted with thousands of resting birds. As we 
drew nearer they saw us and were afraid, ris- 
ing and soaring and circling in the clear, pure 
air, and crying out at us. Flock after flock of 
sea fowl flew wonderingly over our small craft, 
their white breasts tinted green with the light 
reflected from the water. 

It was like a Eobinson Crusoe island, lost 
out there in the lonely sea. But there were 
shells of huge turtles, and bones of birds, which 
suggested that sometime a feast must have 
been held there, so it was not wholly undiscov- 
ered and unexplored. Among the great roots 
of the trees the birds had built their nests from 
leaves. The eggs in some of them were white 
and about the size of hens' eggs. Several va- 
rieties of boobies and terns were found, some 
brown with green-blue eyes, others ivory-white. 
A few specimens were shot, and one or two 
were taken back alive to the Rizal for the mu- 
seum. Previous to this visit the ornithologists 
had never known to what islands the boobies and 
frigate birds came to nest, although the scien- 
tists had long been searching for the place, so 
the expedition was well worth while. 



Journey's End 355 

But the sea gardens interested me more than 
the birds or even the island. If Alice could 
have had her choice in entering Wonderland, 
she would surely have selected a doorway lead- 
ing through a glass-bottomed boat, instead of 
dropping down a rabbit's hole. Beneath the 
water, which was crystal clear, we could see a 
strange country with new flowers and peculiar 
creatures. Where it was sandy and shallow 
we saw below us fields of green sea grass, on 
which the fairies must surely have used lawn- 
mowers, it was so neatly kept. 

Interspersed among the fields were beds of 
feathery, lace-like vegetation unnamed in the 
language of our party. Passing one expanse 
after another of this submarine pasturage, we 
saw depressions in the coral, where tiny fishes 
played or unknown water creatures had estab- 
lished a little world for themselves and were 
living in its narrow confines quite unconscious 
of what went on in the surrounding vastness. 

Drifting on into deeper water, we came to a 
ghost-like gray world of curls and feathers, 
trembling with life, a forest of pale trees and 
swaying brown ones, of high hills and dark val- 
leys, made by coral reefs. Pretty rock gar- 
dens came into view, where there were cab- 
bages with blue edges, sea anemones and pur- 



356 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

pie fans, a huge toadstool, a giant fungus, and 
a cactus plant — at least, that is what they 
looked like to us. There were rainbow shells, 
too, half hidden, and great blue starfish cling- 
ing to the rocks. In and out among the sponges 
and the brown coral branches, which were so 
much like antlers, swam curious fishes. Such 
gorgeous colours — so vivid and in such brilliant 
combinations! Some were big green fellows, 
with needle noses ; others were electric blue and 
silver; there were black and yellow ones, too, 

i Worcester writes in regard to fishing : "There are bar- 
racudas of seven different species, some of which attain a 
length of six feet and weigh a hundred pounds or more. 
Bonitos of four different species have been taken, and afford 
fine sport. Croakers and groupers (locally known as lapu- 
lapu) are found in great variety. Hardtails and leather- 
jacks, commonly called dorados, are also very abundant. They 
take the spoon freely and fight well. There are also several 
species of mackerel and pampano, which are excellent table 
fish; and snappers, of which we have thirty-four known 
species. The large red snappers fight well. Sea-bass of two 
distinct species are common. Specimens weighing fifty to 
seventy-five pounds are frequently seen in the markets. The 
largest specimen as yet recorded from the Islands weighed 
three hundred thirty-four and a fourth pounds. 

"Swordfish, nine feet or more in length, may be taken during 
the cooler months. Tarpons up to five feet in length may "be 
taken at the proper season, off the mouths of large streams. 
The species are distinct from that found in Atlantic waters, 
and the young take the fly freely. 

"The great, or leaping, tunas are met with in large schools 
during the winter months. The natives call them cachareta." 



Journey's End 357 

and striped fishes that looked like sly prisoners 
dodging their keepers. 1 

We passed the greater part of the afternoon 
marooned on this far-away island, some of us 
going bathing of! the shallow, sandy beaches in 
the clear water. As evening came on we re- 
gretfully left the fairy island of Ban cor an, and 
sailed away by the rising moon. 

The Penal Colony on Palawan, which I have 
described in another chapter, was our next 
point of interest. We left there behind sched- 
ule and met a stronger current than we had 
expected, sweeping down the coast of Panay, 
so that it was no wonder that we were late in 
approaching Iloilo. This was especially un- 
fortunate, for very generous preparations had 
been made there for the Secretary's reception 
and an interesting series of events arranged, 
all of which was upset by the delay. 

It was sunset when we finally sighted the 
town. As we cruised up the steeply palisaded 
coast, with the low-lying foreground of Panay 
on the other side, backed by its fine ranges of 
mountains, the effects were most beautiful. 
The old Spanish fort on its point looked mys- 
terious in the afterglow, and the skies were 
magnificently alight. A fleet of much beflagged 
launches and steamers came out to meet the Sec- 



358 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

retary, whistling a welcome, and turning, es- 
corted the Rizal. 

Next to Manila, Iloilo is the most important 
port in the Islands, and has a better climate 
than its rival. The people here are supposed 
to be wealthier and more aristocratic than else- 
where. The Payne bill, which had been in op- 
eration only a short time, had brought such a 
return of prosperity to the land, and especially 
to the planters of this fertile province, that 
they were all very enthusiastic about Ameri- 
cans, and did all they could to express their 
gratitude. 

We were invited for dinner at half after 
seven, but it was an hour later before we sat 
down to the long table in the large and rather 
empty room, with its handsome Venetian mir- 
rors at either end, and its sliding shutters wide 
open to the night. There were no ladies present 
except those of our party. We could never tell 
how things would be arranged, — sometimes 
there would be Filipina ladies, and sometimes 
there would not ; sometimes the ladies would all 
be placed together at one side of the table, and 
again they would be seated next to the men. 
While waiting for dinner to be announced, we 
sat about in an airy room, with half-dressed 



Journey's End 359 

servants peeping in at us, and a phonograph 
playing Caruso records. 

After dinner we had a long drive out through 
the town, which seemed quite business-like and 
prosperous. They had rebuilt some of the fine, 
large, wide-open houses, most of which had been 
destroyed by the insurrectos. (On the nearby 
island of Negros, we were told, there were many 
fine haciendas with great houses full of carved 
work which I was sorry not to see.) Passing 
through suburbs of nipa houses standing up on 
their stilts in the moonlight, we came to a plaza 
gaily illuminated, and to our destination, a man- 
sion approached by a triumphal arch. In the 
best houses the living rooms are on the second 
floor, just as in the poorer ones they are raised 
above the ground on stilts. So here we went up- 
stairs to a great room hung with festoons of 
flags, where the little women in their bright and 
varied dresses passing and repassing made a 
gay scene. It was here, indeed, that we saw 
some of the prettiest and best dressed women 
whom we met on our trip. 

Most of the following day was spent cruising 
along the coast of Panay, passing between its 
fine outlying islands, which reminded us of the 
Inland Sea of Japan. In the afternoon we came 



360 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

to the entrance of the river on which Capiz is 
located. The Secretary crossed overland on the 
first train to run on the new railway, in order to 
drive in the silver spikes that completed the 
line. 

No dinners had been planned there for those 
of us who had come by ship, so we did not start 
up river until half after eight. Capiz is only 
four miles from the mouth, but they were the 
longest miles we had ever experienced, for by 
some mistake the pilot did not arrive, so we 
went in a Rizal launch without one. We just 
struggled along as well as we could in the dark 
till the moon came up, which only mystified us 
the more with its deceptive shadows. Half a 
dozen times we ran deep into mud banks, and 
the sailormen were forced to jump overboard 
and shove us off. They did not appear to en- 
joy doing this, and no wonder, for it was a 
crocodile river. 

Swarms of fireflies, which gathered on favour- 
ite trees, made a very Christmas-like effect with 
their throbbing lights. They were lovely, too, 
in the dark shore shadows, and made sparkling 
reflections in the black river stream. Watch- 
ing them we could almost forget our troubles. 

Finally, after much winding round and back- 
ing off, we turned a bend and saw a line of little 



Journey's End 361 

twinkling lights strung along the shore and on 
floating barges, giving quite a Venetian effect 
and showing us the town by their reflection. 
Landing, we walked across the grassy square to 
the provincial building, with its open court- 
yards, where there was to be a ball. We danced 
a rigodon as usual, and stopped late with the 
Governor General, who liked to show his inter- 
est in these functions, of which the Filipinos 
think so much. There were three bands, which 
vied with each other for applause. 

Next morning we got away early on our last 
leg for Manila and the end of our never-to-be- 
forgotten journey in the Land of Pine and Palm 
— that far-away, unfamiliar country where your 
head gets full of strange thoughts, your body of 
queer feelings, and your heart has great long- 
ings. 

We crowded everything we could into those 
few last days in Manila, for we were loath to 
think of leaving anything undone. Besides 
packing and shopping, there were teas and din- 
ners, and the army and navy reception. This 
was lovely, for it was held in the courtyard filled 
with trees which were hung with dim lanterns. 
The good looking officers with their white duck 
uniforms and brass buttons added to the at- 
tractiveness of the scene. The men of our party 



362 The Spell of Our Pacific Islands 

were even busier than we, for they had several 
banquets to which we were not invited. In my 
husband's journal I find the chronicle of a typi- 
cal day. After describing the events of a busy 
morning, he says : ' ' In the afternoon, there was 
a reception to meet the constabulary, at four; 
the opening of the new hospital, a most complete 
and wonderful one, at half after four; the lay- 
ing of the corner stone at five for the new hotel, 
which is a very ambitious project and will make 
all the difference in the world as far as touring 
in the Philippines is concerned ; in the evening, 
a dinner, and after that a reception, and a 
dance. ' ' 

Manila seemed more picturesque, and to have 
even more atmosphere, as I came to know it 
better. The old walls and churches and plazas 
and corners and quarters; the Pasig with its 
cascos and bancas plying about; the narrow 
streets winding through the suburbs, with old 
moss-covered walls, and peeps of tangled gar- 
dens within, and balustraded terraces, and the 
bowers of the pink blossoming "chain of love." 
It is indeed well-named the Pearl of the Orient. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Atkinson, F. W.: The Philippine Islands 

Alexander, Mary C: The Story of Hawaii 

Alexander, W. D.: Brief History of the Hawaiian People 

American Girl, An: Seven Weeks in Hawaii 

Bancroft, Hubert H.: The New Pacific 

Briggs, Charles W.: Progressive Philippines 

Blair, Emma H.: The Philippine Islands 

Barron, David: History of the Philippines 

Bishop, Isabella L.: The Hawaiian Archipelago 

Blackman, William F.: The Making of Hawaii 

Coan, Titus: Life in Hawaii 

Coan, T. M.: Climate of Hawaii 

— Hawaiian Ethnography 

Castle, William R., Jr.: Hawaii Past and Present 

Chambers, H. E.: Constitutional History of Hawaii 

Crow, Carl: America and the Philippines 

Chamberlin, Frederick: The Philippine Problem 

Dauncey, Mrs. Campbell: The Philippines 

Devens, John B. : An Observer in the Philippines 

Day, Mrs. E. F.: Princess of Manoa 

Emerson, N. B.: Unwritten Literature of Hawaii 

Fee, Mary H.: A Woman's Impressions of the Philippines 

Foreman, J.: The Philippine Islands 

Fornander, Abraham: The Polynesian Pace 

Hawaiian Annual for 1915 

Hawaiian Islands, Report of Commission of Agriculture and 

Forestry 
Hawaii, a Primer — answers to queries 
Hitchcock, C. H.: Hawaii and its Volcanoes 
Jernegan, Prescott F. : A Short History of the Philippines 
Jordan and Edermann: Aquatic Resources of Hawaii 
Library of Congress: List of books on Hawaii 

363 



364 Bibliography 



Lindsey, Forbes: The Philippines 

Le Roy, James A.: Philippine Life in Town and Country 

— Americans in the Philippines 

Lawrence, Mary S. : Old Time Hawaiians and their Work 

Lyman, H. M.: Hawaiian Yesterdays 

Moses, Mrs. M. E. B. : Unofficial Letters of an Official's Wife 

Maus, L. M.: An Army Officer on Leave in Japan 

Musick, John R. : Hawaii: our New Possession 

Mather, Helen: One Summer in Hawaii 

Robinson, Albert G.: The War and the People 

Stoddard, C. W.: South-sea Idyls 

Sawyer, Frederick H. : The Inhabitants of the Philippines 

Stevens, J. E.: Yesterdays in the Philippines 

Taft, Mrs. William H. : Recollections of Full Years 

Westervelt, W. E.: Legends of Old Honolulu 

Worcester, Dean C: The Philippines, Past and Present 

Williams, D. R.: The Odyssey of the Philippine Commission 

Young, Lucien: The Real Hawaii 



INDEX 



Agriculture and Forestry, 

Bureau of, 99 
Aguinaldo, Emilio, 159, 173- 

175, 181-183, 188-193, 195- 

196, 199, 204 
Aldecoa and Company, 265 
Alden, C. S. (quoted), 71 
Alexander Young Hotel, 20 
Amburayan, 270 
Anderson, General Thomas, 72, 

145, 180, 187, 192 
Captain Tom, 145, 296 
Andrews, Louis, 62 
Antipolo, 320 
Apayao, 270 

Archbishop of Manila, 166 
Armstrong, Fort, 25 

General, 62 
Army and Navy Club, 146, 296 
Assembly, 125, 138, 209, 215- 

217, 236 
Asturia, Governor, 351 
Atimonan, 307, 308 
Augustinian Church, 129 



B 



Babuyan Islands, the, 261 
Baginda, Raja, 326 
Bagobos, the, 257, 339, 345, 
348 



Baguio, 213, 246-249, 251, 

253, 272 
Bahr, Abu, 326 
Balangiga, 317 
Balintan Channel, 268 
Bancoran, 353, 357 
Bandholtz, General, 309 
Barry, Lieutenant, 340 
Bashee Rocks, 261, 262 
Batan (islands), 261, 262, 264, 

269 
Bates, General, 198 
Bauang, 247 
Bautilan, 328 
Bay, Lake of, 131 
Beacom, Major, 335 
Beardsley, Admiral and Mrs., 

16 
Benguet, 270 

Road, 247, 249 
Berger, Captain, 14, 74 
Biacnabato, 174 
Treaty of, 175 
Bilibid Prison, 237-239, 241, 

242, 313 
Bill of Rights, 58 
Bingham, Hiram, 10 
Bishop, Bernice Pauahi, 11, 72 
Hon. Charles R., 12 
Museum, 11 
Black Crook, 249 
Blayney, Professor Thomas 

Lindsey (quoted), 220 
Boca Chica, 123 
Boca Grande, 178 



365 



366 



Index 



Bohol, 318 

Boki, Chief, 10 

Bolinao Light, 274 

Bonifacio, Andres, 171, 174 

Bontoc, 229, 236, 270, 287-289 

Book, Captain, 16 

Botel Tobago, 262 

Brent, Bishop, 132 

Brigham, Professor, 11 

Britannia, the, 51 

Bryan, William Jennings, 199, 

206-207 
Bud Dajo, 350 
Buencamino, 183 



C 



Cagayan, 131 

Calkins, Mr., 309 

Capiz, 360 

Carter, General W. H., 26 

Charles L., 78 

George R., 78, 79 

Mr. George, 5 
Castle, Mr., 4, 14, 112 

Mrs., 14 
Castilla, the, 179 
Catbalogan, 317 
Cavite, 138, 166, 173, 179, 

181, 182, 204 
Cebu, 150, 152, 318, 320, 322 
Celebes Sea, 340 
Cervantes, 283, 284 
Charcca, the, 317 
Charleston, the, 269 
Chinese, the (in the Philip- 
pines), 159 



Chino Charlie, 352 

Cleghorn, Governor, 15 

Cleveland, President, 77 

College of Medicine and Sur- 
gery, 141 

Commission, the (first), 207 
Commission, the second (or 
Taft), 207, 209-211, 215, 
216, 219 

Constabulary Band, 125, 137 

Cook, Captain (James), 35, 
37,48,49,114,115,150 

Corregidor, 123, 138, 178, 296 

Cotobato (river), 340 
town, 341 

Cotton, Captain, 16 

Cromer, Lord, 221 

Crook, the, 273, 274 

Culion, 232-235 



Dalupiri, 265 
Damien, Father, 72 
Dampier, William, 152, 262, 

327 
Darrach, Marshall, 139 
Data, Mount, 285 
Daughters of Hawaii, the, 22 
Davis, Isaac, 50 
DeRussy, Fort, 25 
Dewey, Admiral, 177-181, 184, 
186, 192 
(quoted), 190 
Dewey, the (dock), 273 
Diamond Head, 4, 19, 25 



Index 



367 



Dickinson, Mr. (Secretary of 
War), 20, 125, 126, 127, 
131, 136, 139, 145, 146, 
232, 252, 272, 273, 277, 
278, 279, 295, 299, 325, 
337, 341 
Mrs., 125, 127, 136, 139, 
140, 145, 251, 252, 308, 
336 

Din, Alimund, 328 

Ditch Trail, 107 

Dole, Rev. Daniel, 8 

Sanford B., 8, 9, 16, 77-79 

Dominis, John C, 76 

Doyle, Sergeant, 278 

Drake, Sir Francis, 151 

Duvall, General, 146, 273 
Mrs., 146 



Early, 275 

Education, Bureau of, 248 

Edwards, General, 131, 272, 

300 
El Chico de Cagayan River, 

287 
El Fraile, 178 
Emerson (quoted), 42 
Emma, Queen, 65, 66 
Escolta, the, 130 
Ethnology, Bureau of, 141 



F 



"Father Alexander," 106 
"Filipino Republic," the, 190 



Filipinos, 124, 136, 137, 171, 
183, 185-189, 193, 195- 
196, 201, 215, 219, 222, 
241, 245, 298, 342 
Finch, Captain, 3 
Forbes, Governor General 
Cameron, 125, 127, 131, 
139, 212-215, 221, 239, 
243, 248, 272, 276, 277, 
283, 317, 361 
Fornander, A. (quoted), 42 
Frear, Judge Walter F., 80 
French Frigatis Shoal, 66 
Funston (General), 25, 199 
Furness, Dr., 4 



G 



Gallman, 275, 280 
Gilbert, Vice-Governor, 254 
Gimbungen (dato), 342 
Government Dormitory for 

Girls, 140 
Government Laboratories, 

Bureau of, 141 
Green Lake, 112 
Gridley, Captain, 3, 179 
Guam, 72, 119, 199, 262 



Halawa, 63 
Haleakala, 107 
Halemaumau, 60, 110 
Hanalei River, 115 
Harrison, Governor General, 
212, 213, 219 



368 



Index 



Hauula, 103 


Iraya, Mt., 269 


Hawaii (island of), 8, 39, 82 


Irwin, Mr., 4 


Republic of, 78 


Isabella II, Queen, 164 


Hawaiian Commercial Sugar 


Isola Grande, 273, 274 


Company, 81 


Itbayat Island, 265 


Hawaiians (ethnology of), 29 


Iwahig River, 240 


Heiberg, Major, 343 


Iyeyasu, Shogun, 156 


Heiser, Dr., 221, 230-232, 234- 




236, 323 




Hilgard, Captain, 251 




Hilo, 60, 62, 91, 102, 108, 110, 


J 


112 




Hina, 35 


Japanese-American Citizens' 


Hoapili, 62 


Association, 116 


Honaunau, 113 


Japanese (women laborers), 


Honolulu, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 21, 


83-85 


25, 65, 67, 72, 102, 103, 


as Hawaiians, 116-118 


104, 181 


Jesuits, the, 164, 165, 166 


Hualalai, 113 


John Hay, Camp, 248, 251 


y 


Jones Bill, the, 222 


I 


Jota, the, 317 


Iao Valley, 107 




Ide, H. C, 208 


K 


Ifugao, 270 




Ifugaos, the, 271, 277, 280- 


Kaawaloa, 114 


283, 289, 293 


Kahanamoku, Duke, 91 


Igorots, the, 251, 253, 255, 277, 


Kahului, 102 


286, 288-290, 294, 337 


Kailua, 53, 114 


Ilocanos, the, 275 


Kaiulani, Princess, 77 


Iloilo, 357-358 


Kakuhihewa, 6 


Ilongots, the, 255, 258-259 


Kalaimoku, 56 


Immigration, Bureau of, 100 


Kalakaua, King, 9, 73-75, 81, 


Inter-Island Navigation Com- 


118 


pany, 104 


Prince, 118 


boats, 112 


Kalamba, 131, 204 


Internal Revenue, Bureau of, 


Kalanianaole, Prince Jonah 


221 


Kuhio, 79 



Index 



369 



Kalanikupule, 22 


L 




Kalinga, 270 






Kalingas, the, 271, 272, 289- 


Lackawanna, the, 66, 67, 


68, 


292 


70,71 




Kaliuwaa, falls of, 103 


Ladrone Islands, the, 116, 


150 


Kamehameha I (the Great), 


Lahaina, 106 




6,11,22,48,50-54,106 


Laka, 40, 41, 42, 49 




heiau of, 112 


Lamb, Mr., 240, 244 




birthplace of, 114 


Mrs., 244 




Kamehameha II, 54, 55, 57 


Lanao, Lake, 325, 334 




Kamehameha III, 6, 12, 57, 


Lawton, General, 195 




59,65 


Legarda, Mr., 131, 298 




Kamehameha IV, 65 


Legaspi, Miguel Lopez 


de, 


Kamehameha V, 72 


152, 153, 158 




Kamehameha, Fort, 25 


Legaspi, 317 




Kamehameha School, 12 


Lepanto, 270 




Kamehamehas, the, 31 


Liholiho, 56 




Kanaloa, 34, 39 


Liliuokalani, Queen, 9, 


12, 


Kane, 34, 39, 41, 42 


75-78 




Kapiolani, 59, 60, 74 


Li Ma Hong, 156 




Katipunan, the, 169, 170-173 


Lono, 39, 49 




Kau, 112, 113 


Los Banos, 131 




Kauai, 8, 71, 82, 115 


Lucena, 298, 302, 307 




Kawaiahao Church, 9 


Lunalilo Home, 12 




Kawaihae, 112 


Prince, 73 




Keanonako, 12, 13 


Luneta, the, 126, 146, 18£ 




Keawe-Mauhili, 60 


Luzon, 133, 172, 176, 196, 


198, 


Keithley, Camp, 325, 334 


245, 257, 261, 271, 


275, 


Kilauea, 51, 60, 66, 104, 109, 


297 




112 






Kinau, 12 






Kohala, 114 






ditch, 114 


M 




Kona, 91, 112, 113, 114 






Konia, 12 


MacArthur, General, 


194, 


Kotta, 297 


196, 198 




Koxinga, 158 


Macfarlane, Mrs., 15 




Ku, 39 


Macomb, General M. M., 


25 


Kuhio, Prince, 118 


MageUan, 150, 151 





370 



Index 



Makadum, 326 


Midway Island (Brooks), 67, 


Makapuu Point Light, 21 


69, 70, 123 


Malabang, 340 


Mindanao, 150, 166, 171, 322, 


Malacanan, Palace of, 126, 136 


325-327, 331, 339, 340 


Malays, 149, 154, 245, 326 


Mines, Bureau of, 141 


Malolos, 191, 195 


Mirador, 253 


Mandi, Dato, 346 


Mitchell, Major, 266 


Mangyans, 241 


Moanalua, 25 


Manila, 123, 124, 128, 152, 156, 


Molokai, 8, 63, 73, 105 


157, 159, 160, 166, 171, 


Montojo, Admiral, 179 


173, 186, 193, 199, 222, 


Moros, the, 124, 150, 171, 209, 


227, 249, 314, 315, 328 


222, 241, 245, 322, 325- 


sight-seeing in, 128-147, 


339, 341, 342, 345-348, 


361-362 


350-352 


Manila Bay, 3, 123, 138, 157, 


Moro Province, 346 


178 


Moses, Professor, 208 


Battle of, 177, 184 


Mountain Province, the, 270, 


Manila-Dagupan Railroad, 315 


288 


Manilibang, Dato, 337 


Musick (.quoted), 18 


Manobos, the, 339, 343, 345 




Marian, the, 16 


N 


Mariveles, 123 




Marshall Islands, 116 


Namaka, 23 


Maui Island, 8, 40, 44, 51, 


Nangnui, Hadji, 347, 351 


62, 81, 82, 106 


Negritos, 149, 253, 256-257 


East, 107 


Negros, the, 295 


demi-god, 35, 40 


island of, 359 


Mauna Kea, 108 


Neumann, Paul, 15 


Mauna Loa, 108, 109, 113 


"Noli Me Tangere" ("The 


Mayon, Mount, 308 


Social Cancer"), 170 


McCulloch, the, 178 


Nozaleda, Archbishop, 184 


McKimmon, Father, 314 


Nueva Viscaya, 258 


McKinley, Fort, 132, 220 


Nuuanu, battle of, 22 


President, 183, 200, 207, 209 


valley, 23, 51 


Menehunes, the, 116 




Merritt, General, 183, 192 


O 


Mexico, 152, 153, 156, 157, 




204 


Oahu, 4, 5, 6, 8, 18, 25, 32, 51, 


Mexicans, 192 


52, 82, 88, 103, 119 



Index 



371 



College, 8, 9 


Piang, Dato, 326, 342 


Obookiah (Opukahaia), 55 


Pili, 31 


Ocampo, Pablo, 204 


Pinkham, Governor, 80 


"Occupation Day," 296 


Plaza McKinley, 129 


Olongapo, 273 


Poison God, the, 105 


Olympia, the, 4, 178, 179 


Polo Club, 131 


Osmefia, Mr., 298 


Polynesia, 30, 39, 40 


Otis, General, 192, 194, 198 


Polynesians, 29, 30 


Overton, Camp, 325 


Puerto Princessa, 240 




Punahou, 8 


P 


Punchbowl, 4, 19, 20, 103 


Paahana, 93 


Q 


Paao, 31, 37 




Pack, Governor, 200 


Queen's Hospital, 9, 65 


Pagsanjan, 131 


Quezon, Mr., 298, 301 


Paki, 12 




Pakuanui, 23 




Palawan, 239, 240, 357 




Pali, the, 22, 23, 24, 52, 103 


R 


Panama Canal, 100, 119 




Panay, 357, 359 


Reciprocity Treaty, 24, 73, 


Papa, 5, 30 


81,100 


Parker, Sam, 15 


Reina Christina, the, 179 


Pasig River, 127, 128, 225 


Reynolds, Captain William, 69 


Patterson, Admiral, 160 


Rivera, Primo de, 175 


Paulet, Lord George, 61 


Rizal, 131, 170-172 


Payne Bill, 358 


Rizal, the, 296, 308, 309, 318, 


Pearl Harbour, 21, 22, 24, 32 


322, 343, 354, 358 


Pele, 37, 40, 43, 44, 51, 60, 110 


Rojesvenski, Admiral, 269 


Perkins, Commodore, 71 


Root, Elihu, 300 


Pershing, General, 349 


Royal Hawaiian Band, 14, 


Philadelphia, the, 16 


74 


Philip II, 151 


Royal Hawaiian Hotel, the, 6 


Philip III, 177 


Ruger, Fort, 25 


Philip V, 328 


Russell, Sturgis, Oliphant and 


Philippine General Hospital, 


Company, 308 


141 


Ruth, Princess, 81 



372 



Index 



s 



Sacaluran, Dato, 347 

Saginaw, the, 71 

Samar, 317 

Sandwich Islands, 49 

San Lazaro, 157, 227, 231 

San Mateo, 195 

San Miguel, 130 

Santa Cruz, 195 

Santa Maria Cristina, 334 

Santiago, Fort, 172 

Sargent, Major, 340 

School of Arts and Trades, the, 
312 

Science, Bureau of, 141, 142, 
353 

Seaman's Act, 86 

Sepulchre, Padre, 286 

Sewall, Mr., 16 

Shafter, Fort, 25 

Shark King (story of), 45-47 

Sibley, Miss, 133 

Sicard, Lieutenant - Comman- 
der, 71 

Sokabe, Rev. S. (quoted), 117 

Spain, 155, 156, 158, 159, 167, 
168, 175, 218 

Spreckles, Mr. Claus, 81 

Stevens, Mr. (Minister to 
Hawaii), 76 

Stoddard, Charles W. (quoted), 
24 

Strong, Dr. Richard P., 229 

Subig Bay, 178, 273 

Suez Canal, the, 156, 164 

Sugar Planters' Association, 99 

Sulu, 326, 350 
Sea, 322, 353 



Sultan of, 326 
Sy Cip, Mr. Alfonso Tarata, 
320 



Taft, President, 126, 137, 207- 

209 
Tagalogs, the (Tagals), 139, 

165, 167 
Tagudin,274,276,295 
Talbot, Lieutenant, 71 
Tantalus, Mt., 19 
Thatcher, Rear Admiral, 67 
Thomas, Admiral, 61 
Times, the Manila, 216, 349 
Tingians, the, 256, 257 
Tobaco, 309 
Topside, 249 

Trail and Mountain Club, 103 
Treaty of Paris, the (c. 1762) 
159 
1899, 206, 207 
Twain, Mark (quoted), 8, 105 



Vancouver, Captain George, 

50,51 
Villaloboz, Ruy Lopez de, 151 
Visayas, the, 176 



W 

Wahaula (temple of), 37 
Wahiawa, 103 



Index 



373 



Waialua, 92, 95, 97, 98 


Wood, General, 325 


Waianae, 82 


Worcester, Mr. Dean C., 141, 


Waikiki, 10, 15, 17, 20, 25, 


142, 208, 213, 218, 228, 


103 


248, 272, 286, 300 


Wailuku, 106 


(quoted), 167, 217, 221, 257, 


Waimanu (valley), 115 


292, 348, 356 


Waimea, 115 


Wright, Luke E., 208 


Gulch, 115 




Waipio (valley), 115 




Wakea, 4, 5, 30 


Y 


Wekolo Pond, 32 


Welles, Mr., 67 




White, Dr., 253 


Ynock, 342 


Whitmarsh, Mrs. 250 


Yongs, Mr., 160 


Mr., 251 


Young, Captain Lucien, 74 


Widemann, Judge, 4, 14, 82 


Young, John, 50 


Wilcox, Robert W., 73 




rebellion, 73 




Wilder, Mrs., 15 


Z 


Wilson, President, 79, 212 




Wisser, General J. P., 26 


Zamboanga, 331, 343, 349 



,'31 



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